In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)
by SpicyPepper-SweetSugar
Summary: Post 5x08 "Coda". The group deals with the loss of Beth and Daryl is slowly distancing himself. Then one day, the strangest thing happens and his world is turned upside-down. [AU story. You'll see why. Read end note for a better explanation. Rating can go up later on, but it depends on if the readers want it! This is a Bethyl slow burn. Rating might get raised to M eventually.]
1. Chapter 1

**Note: ****Hey you peeps! This is my first ever Walking Dead fic! I'm a Bethyl shipper and as you can all guess, I was very upset with how the mid-season finale ended, so I decided to contribute with my own story of what happened after it. Hopefully, you'll like it enough to comment, but please be kind if the characters seem a little OOC (remember it's my first time writing them!).**

**Oh and this has the potential of becoming a longer fic, but I'd appreciate it if you told me if you want me to continue with it, even though I have a lot of things going on at the moment and probably won't be able to write it within the next week or so.**  
><strong>:)<strong>

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><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 1**

He still sees it happen.

He still sees it, every single night that he goes to bed and tries to fall asleep.

He hears the gunshot, sees the bullet exiting through the back of her head, her falling as her blood sprays and covers Rick's face.

He sees himself reacting, shooting the woman who shot her– _Dawn_– point blank, no questions asked, no more chances given. He sees himself, chin trembling, tears welling over, showing weakness in front of everyone in that damned hallway, as he kneels on the floor next to her and cries over her dead body.

He sees it every time he closes his eyes.

Sees her walking toward him after they've already traded Carol back. He still remembers the way his hand lingers on her shoulder as he pushes her back toward their group, never taking his eyes off the enemy while doing so. He still _feels_ how warm she was and he remembers how he had allowed himself one moment of happiness at finally finding her and bringing her back.

But the moment was fleeting, because he then remembers how she fell and he feels sick once again.

It doesn't matter that he still sees her late at night; that the memory of her death still plagues his nightmares. Sometimes, he's glad that he actually gets to see her, just because he misses her, but the nightmare continuously reminds him of the fact that he hadn't been able to save her; another innocent that he failed to protect.

It doesn't matter, because Beth Greene is still dead and Daryl knows there is nothing he can do to change that.

-§-

Maggie cried constantly.

Daryl understood that she was upset over her sister's death, because they all were, but he wished the woman would just _shut up_ about it all and stop reminding him of Beth all the time.

After they buried the blonde that he knows he'll never be able to forget, Maggie's eyes never seem to get dry and Glenn can do nothing but helplessly watch her as he tries to comfort her.

To be honest, no one seemed to know what to do next or how to function properly after what happened, but they stuck together, like always, making their way through the state, looking for another safe place where they might be able to find a sanctuary for a while at least. Abraham, Rosita, Eugene and Tara officially become a part of their family and Father Gabriel tags along as well, even though Daryl still doesn't trust him.

Michonne had expressed her worries about the reverend, telling Rick and Daryl about how the man's stupidity had lead to the downfall of the church they had been staying at. Daryl had almost gone livid when he had understood that the man had lead a bunch of walkers straight to the church where the Little Asskicker and Carl were at, and he had been ready to throw him out of the group right that second. Rick, however, had decided that they should give the priest another chance, because apparently, that was what Beth would have wanted.

At the mention of the blonde's name, Daryl had drawn back and left the others standing, not wanting to hear another word.

-§-

The other addition to their family, Noah, started following Daryl around about a week after they buried Beth.

The younger man seemed to still be a little wary of the others, but he trusted both Daryl and Carol since they were the people he had met first. Daryl was almost one hundred percent sure that Carol had put Noah to the task of not letting Daryl have a moment alone, and it annoyed him to no end.

He couldn't stand Maggie's crying and he couldn't stand people looking at him like he had changed.

He knew he had, but he didn't need people constantly pointing it out for him.

All he wanted was to be left alone, to mourn the girl he had grown to care about so much during that time they had been by themselves. He wanted to mourn, forget and move on, but Noah was a constant reminder of what had happened and the kid didn't help much by casually mentioning Beth before breaking down in tears in front of Daryl, who would always end up patting him on the back, telling him that things would be okay eventually, deep down knowing that they never would be.

-§-

They never stopped moving.

For three months straight, they were on the roads, scavenging whatever they could find along the way, killing as many walkers as they could, never resting.

Daryl found himself another motorbike, similar to the one he once had, and he distracted himself by tinkering on it every chance he got. He kept watch during most nights, needing the silence that surrounded them every night and the darkness, to cover up the fact that tears still slipped from his eyes every now and then, more often than he would ever admit to himself even. Beth still consumed him and every breath he took was a reminder of the breaths that she would never be able to take.

She wasn't there, but she was everywhere.

And it _hurt._

-§-

He is keeping watch one night, six months after it happened when Carol approaches him.

Her injuries have healed and she's quicker on her feet again, but Daryl can still see the change in her too. Before she was run over and taken to that hospital, his friend had been close to falling off the deep end. She had changed so much that she barely recognized herself anymore and Daryl had tried to tell her that she was just going through something and that she would come back from it.

Seeing Beth killed so suddenly, tragically and supposedly _accidentally_, seemed to have brought back the Carol he had once known. The woman had found her place in the group again, knowing that she would never be able to leave them to go through that kind of grief, that kind of loss, alone. She needed them as much as they needed her, so she stayed and never tried to leave again.

Daryl suspected it also had something to do with him.

Carol had been his friend ever since the day he had gone out to look for Sophia and since then, she had always been there for him. Not romantically, but as family. The woman was the person he considered to be the mother of their group and he knew that whatever feelings he had for her were platonic and that she felt the same.

Carol had taken Noah under her wing, which had been a little bit surprising since she had almost shot him that time when he had stolen their weapons from them in Atlanta. She had been teaching him how to defend himself and how to kill walkers more efficiently and deep down, Daryl knew that that too was a way for her to move forward from everything that they had lived through; to try to move on from the loss of Beth.

"You can't keep doing this, Daryl," the woman spoke as she sat down next to him. They were sitting by the small fire they had put up in a small clearing in the woods. The others were already fast asleep and Daryl had offered to take the first watch since he couldn't sleep anyway; too many painful memories resurfacing every time he closed his eyes.

"I ain't doin' nothin'," Daryl muttered, glaring into the small fire. He refused to look at Carol, who he knew was staring at him, mostly because he doesn't want to break down in front of her, like he did at the hospital when he had cradled Beth's lifeless body against his chest.

"You're distancing yourself," she told him, her voice not wavering. "If you keep going like this, you're going to get yourself killed, or worse."

"Haven't died yet, so..." he trailed off, still not looking at her.

She reached over and touched his arm, "You can't keep doing this." He looked up at her then, because she sounded broken and he didn't want to hurt others just because he was hurting himself. He shook his head, but clasped her hand, still not saying anything.

They sat together, watching the fire burn out in front of them as the sun slowly rose above the horizon, coloring the sky in a light pink and orange.

_Don't you think that's beautiful?_

Daryl swallowed down his tears as Beth's words circled around inside his head for the thousand time since she had disappeared from his life.

-§-

Exactly a month after Carol tried to talk to him, Rick seemed to finally have had enough of his behavior.

This time, they had found a bar in a practically abandoned town. They cleaned it out and secured the doors and windows, making sure that no light from the inside can be seen outside in case any walkers pass through the street at night.

Carol had gone to put Judith to bed and Carl too has already fallen asleep in the adjoining room that seemed to have been an office before. Michonne and Noah were still securing the back door with Abraham and Rosita, so only Glenn, Maggie, Tara, Eugene, Daryl and Rick are in the main room of the bar since Father Gabriel too decided to go to bed earlier. Sasha and Tyreese had been gone for half an hour, checking the perimeter from the roof, trying to get a better look at possible threats.

"Daryl, I need you back," Rick told him, his voice lowered so that the others in the room wouldn't hear him. "I need you back, brother."

Daryl turned away from the front door that he had been staring at and looked at Rick, whose eyes never wavered "What are ya talkin' 'bout? I'm here, aren't I?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You haven't been with us for seven months, Daryl," Rick tried again, but Daryl only scoffed, pushing his way past the other man as he rounded the bar and reached for the abandoned whiskey that Tara had found a little earlier when she had looked through the shelves in the back.

He made a show of wiping one of the glasses with his red rag before putting it on the table, almost slamming it against it. The noise caught the attention of Maggie and Glenn, who had been sitting hurdled up close together, Glenn always whispering words of comfort to Maggie who had finally stopped crying.

Daryl poured himself a glass and the action took him back to that time in the abandoned moonshine shack where he poured Beth her first drink. His throat felt thick all of the sudden, but he hid it by downing the entire glass, putting it back on the table, filling it up again.

"Ya want one?" he asked Rick, pushing the newly filled glass toward the other man who only narrowed his eyes at him.

"You can't keep doing this," Rick told him again, much like Carol had a month ago. "Beth wouldn't want you to do this-"

Daryl slammed his hand against the bar, the sound vibrating through the room and suddenly he was well aware of the danger he was putting everyone in by being so loud. Rick only stared at him and Daryl lowered his voice as he spoke so that he wouldn't draw any more attention from the dead that were probably wandering outside on the street, "Don't tell me what _she_ would'a wanted me to do. None of ya know what she would'a wanted me to do!"

He decided that he was done being sad; done being upset. Now, he was just pissed off at everyone and everything; the world and _himself_.

Rick didn't back down as he took another step toward him and somewhere in his peripheral view Daryl saw Maggie, Glenn and the others stand up, as if they were afraid that he and Rick would start throwing punches at each other any moment.

"We all loved her, Daryl!" Rick snapped at him and Daryl felt himself faltering.

He glared at Rick, staring him down, "No, _ya don't get it_!" His exclamation was loud enough to draw the others closer, but not loud enough for the walkers outside to hear them.

Daryl felt the tears stinging in his eyes as he remembered how Beth had once spoken the same words to him. He doesn't look away and he doesn't move his eyes away from Rick's.

Rick finally paused and took a small step back, appraising him from afar. Daryl noticed how the man's eyes moved from Daryl's tear filled eyes, to his balled up fists that remained resting on the bar counter and back up to his trembling chin.

Realization was there and suddenly Rick seemed to _finally_ put the missing pieces together.

Daryl wasn't just mourning his friend or a part of his family, like Rick and the others were. Daryl was mourning someone who meant a lot more to him than they ever would have been able to guess.

Rick doesn't tell him that his own minds traveled back to the time that he lost himself after Lori's death and how Daryl's behavior was so clear to him in that moment, that he doesn't understand how he could have missed it before.

Rick ran a hand through his dirty hair, sighing loudly as his hand fell to his beard covered chin as he once again took Daryl in. "What happened when you two were separated from us, man?" he asked and Daryl could see in Rick's eyes that he truly wanted to know, while also not wanting to impose. "Something changed, Daryl. You can't deny that," Rick paused for a beat. "So what changed?"

Daryl blinked at him a few times, willing his tears away as he shook his head and finally looked down at the drink in front of him, "Everythin' changed."

-§-

The rest of the people in their group stopped asking questions after that; stopped trying to get him to open up and talk.

They all knew that he would come around sooner or later and Daryl was happy that he finally got some peace and quiet, focusing solely on keeping everyone safe and killing as many walkers as he could.

At night, he still didn't sleep much. He was always seeing Beth's cerulean eyes looking at him as she walked toward him in that hallway in the hospital. He always saw the way she had looked at him that night at the funeral home, right before he had gone to open the door.

During daytime, Maggie came up to talk to him at least once, always around the same time. Thankfully, she never mentioned Beth or asked him what had actually happened between him and her younger sister, but Daryl knew enough to understand that Maggie had gained some kind of feeling of responsibility toward him. He would never really understand _why _though, because everyone knew that Daryl didn't need a babysitter, but he humored the woman, telling himself that if it kept her from breaking down and crying again, he could live with it.

-§-

They found a small gas-station and hoped that there would be something there that could be useful for them. They disposed of the three walkers inside without drawing any attention to themselves. Not that it would have made a difference though, since the gas-station was in the middle of nowhere, but neither of them wanted to risk making too much noise if a herd of walkers had been walking through the woods surrounding them.

"Look what I found!" Carl grinned, holding out a pack of smokes toward Daryl, who pocketed them immediately. He ruffled the kid's hair, silently thanking him, knowing that Carl had used the cigarettes to try and lighten the mood.

Michonne was walking around the store with Judith in her hands, looking for anything that the baby in her arms might like. Rick found two bags of chips in the back and threw them at Carl, who happily took them out to Carol and the others who were waiting outside.

They had decided to take turns going in, everyone looking for things of their own liking so that nothing would be missed.

As Daryl is crouching down behind the counter to see if there's any weapon hidden there they hear an awfully familiar noise.

A truck is approaching outside.

Daryl was alert in less than a second, and raised his crossbow as he jumped over the counter, following Rick out of the shop. Rick gave Michonne strict orders to stay inside with Judith and Daryl made sure to push Carl inside the station, even though he knew the kid could hold his own outside. He nodded at Noah and Carol, who went inside as well, taking Father Gabriel with them, leaving Sasha, Tyreese, Tara, Glenn, Maggie, the former DC-crew (minus Eugene who also scurried inside), Rick and Daryl outside.

It was just a single, old orange pickup-truck though, but they stayed to see to it that whoever it was that was inside the truck didn't get any ideas of threatening them. The man inside the truck parked on the other side of the street and stepped out of the car, his hands already in the air.

Daryl's finger itched to release the bolt he had nocked on his crossbow, although he waited for any sign that Rick might give him.

"Hey!" the man who approaches them called out. "Rick Grimes? That you?"

Daryl could only stare as Rick slowly lowered his gun, squinting at the man who walked toward them, hands still in the air.

"You know this guy?" Daryl whispered to Rick, who took a step forward, trying to get a better look.

"Morgan?" Rick finally asked, making the other man chuckle.

"Bet ya didn't think you'd see me again!" the man replied, stepping toward Rick.

"It's okay," Rick told them and they all lowered their weapons and watched as the man– _Morgan_– embraced Rick.

Daryl remembered the story Michonne told him about the crazy man that had saved Rick's life when he had gotten out of the hospital and wondered whether this was the same Morgan that she had talked about. He didn't seem too crazy, but Daryl wasn't willing to take any chances with him.

He kept his finger on the trigger, even though his crossbow remained lowered.

"You're still alive then," Morgan laughed, hands on Rick's shoulders as he took the rest of them in, whistling softly. "And you seem to have quite a big group goin' too! You got a camp set up somewhere?"

"Nah," Rick shook his head. "Still looking for a safe place."

Daryl felt the urge to tell Rick to shut up and not reveal too much to the man, but he refrained from saying anything. There was always a risk with people that they used to know. One could get blinded for a moment and miss the threats that might still be around them.

"You got anything set up somewhere?" Rick asked Morgan, who nodded.

"It's a farm," he said. "Been there for a few months now. Repaired most of the fences myself and so far I've only come across a few walkers, but they were all on their own, so I took care of 'em."

"A farm?" Maggie repeated, stepping forward. Behind her, Glenn looked down and Daryl immediately knew that he too was thinking back to the Greene farm where they had once been quite happy. "You're all alone there?"

Morgan considered Maggie's question for a while, before finally shaking his head. "Not alone," he answered. "Just me and Lady though, so there's plenty of room, if you're interested." He looked back to Rick, who seemed to genuinely be contemplating it.

Behind Daryl, the doors opened and Michonne stepped outside, her sword still by her side as she walked toward them. She recognized Morgan, it seems, because she looked over at Daryl and gave him a look that told him to be wary.

"More people!" Morgan exclaimed happily. "Strength in numbers, Rick Grimes. You should all come with me."

"Then what?" Daryl sneered. "Ya turn out to be a liar an' we risk our lives for nothin'? No thank you."

"Daryl," Rick said calmly. "We need to consider this."

"There's nothin' to consider, Rick," Daryl protested. "Ya told me 'bout this man when we were at the prison. Ya told me that he'd gone shit crazy in isolation."

"I'm better," Morgan said calmly, not looking the least offended by what Daryl had said. "I'll admit I fell off the wagon for a while, but Lady made me better."

Daryl shook his head again, despite what Morgan had said.

"We should vote," Tara piped up. "It's the fairest thing."

So they did.

Daryl voted no, along with Maggie who didn't want to leave him behind and Glenn who didn't want to leave Maggie behind. Michonne also joined them, telling Rick that it's too big of a risk and that they shouldn't risk Carl and Judith like that. Rick tried to tell her that they still had strength in numbers and that if anything seemed off, they would be able to get the kids out of there safely.

When Morgan suggested that a few of them come along with him to check the place out for themselves while the others waited at the station, they refused his offer, not wanting to get separated.

In the end, the decision was made and they got in their respective vehicles that they had acquired along the way and allowed Morgan to lead the way with his pick-up.

They arrived right before nightfall. Judith was already sound asleep in Rick's arms and Carl's head has dropped to Michonne's shoulder. The adults were all awake though and as they parked their cars in front of the house, Daryl looked at the big house that stood before them.

It would definitively have enough room for all of them, but he still wasn't too open on trusting this Morgan fellow.

"It's like we've gone back in time," Carol mused beside him and he agreed with a nod. The house looked almost like an exact copy of the Greene house, and the farmhouse further away looked similar too. There was a big field around them, but the field itself was surrounded by a forest.

It felt as if they were back on Hershel's farm and it was painful to see, because it once again brought back all the memories of the older man and his youngest daughter.

"We should head inside," Morgan told them, leaving the keys inside the truck. "I always do that. In case something ever goes wrong you know, and I need to get myself and Lady out. It was her idea actually."

Daryl once again resisted the urge to tell Rick that the man that had brought them to the farm was crazy if he had been keeping a dog alive all this time as his only company and had been having conversations with the mutt. Although, he didn't say anything, but he followed the rest of his group inside the house.

It was quiet, but it looked homey.

There were a couple of pairs of shoes on the floor next to the door and Daryl swallowed as he saw a pair of _Converse_ sneakers that he knew Beth would have loved to wear. Tearing his eyes away from the shoes, Rick signaled for him and the others to come with him to check out the living room.

"I should probably bring Lady downstairs so that you can all meet her," Morgan said thoughtfully as the more tired part of the group settled down on the sofa which was surprisingly clean and soft. Daryl stayed in his corner, eyes still narrowed suspiciously at Morgan.

The man walked over to the stairs on the other side of the room and called out, "Hey Lady! I brought some people back with me! Why don't you come down and meet them?"

_The man is insane_, Daryl thought, almost chuckling to himself at Rick's stupidity for convincing everyone else that Morgan was well enough to trust after having just one conversation with him.

Daryl expected the sound of pads to come from upstairs, but the sound that followed Morgan's call was not from an animal. The footsteps were human and Daryl's hand rested on his crossbow, just in case.

Whoever it was, the person descended the stairs slowly, or perhaps it was just time that slowed down around them?

First, the sock-clad feet came into view; a fuchsia color that Daryl hadn't seen in a long time in this dark world. Then, the thin, but strong legs that were covered in jean-fabric followed. The light pink top came into view and Daryl could see the lean, pale arms that seemed to have at least a little muscle in them before his eyes fall on the blonde tresses cascading down the back of the girl who was stepping into their view as she came to stand at the end of the stairs, next to Morgan, looking over at them, almost shyly.

Daryl's breath caught in his throat and he wondered if he had gone crazy or if it was just another dream.

His ears were suddenly ringing, but he heard someone cry out and he immediately knows that it was Maggie. The woman in question stood from the couch and took a step forward, but she didn't get any further before she fells into unconsciousness, her husband barely having time to catch her.

Daryl stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against and stared open mouthed at the girl who suddenly looked frightened. Her blue eyes flickered across their faces before she turned her head toward Morgan, who looked confused at what was happening before him.

It seemed like the silence has been stretched out for years before Rick finally took a step forward and spoke. "Beth?" His voice was as shaky as Daryl felt, because he couldn't believe his eyes.

Beth was standing in front of him and he wasn't the only one who was seeing her, so it couldn't be a dream.

Beth was standing next to Morgan, _alive_ and _breathing_.

There were two scars on her face and Daryl recalled the marks he had seen on her face in the hospital right before she had been _killed_ in front of him.

But she hadn't been killed, because she was standing in front of him now.

"How is this possible?" Carol asked, breaking down into tears as she rushed over to the blonde who looked taken aback as the older woman embraced her, peppering kisses all over the younger girl's forehead while cupping her cheeks. Carol's body wrecked with sobs and Daryl couldn't exactly blame her because he felt like crying himself.

Finally, Beth pushed Carol away slightly and frowned at her.

Daryl knew what was coming, because he couldn't very well be _that damn lucky_ to have this girl back in his life again, after apparently cheating a most certain death. He braced himself for it as he watched Beth take a tentative step back from Carol, looking confused and maybe even a little scared.

"Who are you?" Beth asked, her voice a little hoarse, and Daryl's world immediately fell to pieces because of her, yet again.

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>**Okay, before you say anything, let me explain: I've been reading a lot of "Beth Survives" theories on tumblr and to be honest, I'm probably in Denial Land, but hey, I can always write fanfiction, right?**

**So that is exactly what I decided to do!**  
><strong>In this fic, Beth turns out to be alive, but she is suffering from severe memory loss. I won't be jumping straight into the Bethyl relationship, because they will obviously need to build their relationship up again considering that Beth doesn't remember any of them. Be patient and please do comment and share your thoughts! :)<strong>  
><strong>Thank you for reading!<strong>  
><strong>xoxo<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Wow! I am utterly speechless people! I can't believe the response I got for this fic! Over 20 reviews on the first chapter! That is AMAZING! :D Thank you to all of you who reviewed and I hope I'll be hearing from you again after this! *wink wink***

**It was definitively that positive response that pushed me to write and post this chapter A LOT sooner than I had originally planned! I hope you enjoy it even though there isn't much Bethyl in there yet! But we'll get there eventually! ;) This is a Beth-centered chapter, starting seven months prior and moving forward to the moment she is reunited with her family...**

**I hope you enjoy it! :)**

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><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 2**

_Seven months ago_

It was dark and cold when the girl's eyes finally fluttered open.

At first, she didn't move much, because her body felt as if it had been frozen over. She tried to recall what had happened to her and how she had gotten to the place that she was in, but when she tried to think back, there was a black veil covering her vision and the only thing she remembered was a sound; the sound of a gun being fired.

Painfully, she lifted her right hand, but winced when she felt a sting inside of it.

_Was she injured?_

She tried to open her eyes again, but was yet again met with complete darkness. When she took a breath, she suddenly became aware of how difficult it was to breathe and panic began setting in as she lifted her left hand instead and came in contact with nothing but hard wood.

She was breathing a lot heavier suddenly and her head was pounding as she tried to sit up, but there was too little room to actually do so. Opening her mouth, she tried to scream for help, but no words came out. She coughed and pounded on the wood, feeling it move a little above her. She scraped against it, feeling her fingernails chip and blood run down her hands as she tried her hardest to claw herself out of her confinement.

Out of her coffin.

When she realized that she had been buried alive, a small part of her told her to try to calm down and assess the situation the best she could in the darkness. She had no way of knowing just how long she had been caught inside of the casket, but since the air was still breathable, it couldn't have been _that_ long.

Unless of course her body had shut itself down to heal from whatever injury she had gotten that had made people believe that she was dead that is, but even she knew that it couldn't have shut off the need for oxygen.

Perhaps she was suffering from brain damage already? Maybe that was why she couldn't talk?

But how was she able to _think _then?

It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered in that moment was that she had to get out of the grave she had woken up inside of.

Some kind of instinct took over and the girl managed to wiggle out of the sweater she was wearing, slowly pressing it against her mouth with her _clearly_ already injured, right hand. She pushed lightly against the wood again with her left hand and tried to wiggle her legs up so that her knees were touching her stomach, her feet planted on the roof of the casket.

Whoever it was that had buried her had wanted her body to be comfortable despite the fact that they had thought that she was dead. She figured this because the casket was a little bigger than her, which she had only noticed after calming herself down after the initial shock of being buried alive had settled.

She pushed her legs up while simultaneously pressing against the lid with her good hand. She could feel it moving up a little and she heard small pebbles and bits of dirt fall into the coffin. As she pushed and pushed, she tried to make as much noise as possible, hoping that someone would be walking by and hear her.

The lid moved again and she pushed even harder, the adrenaline finally kicking in. She got the casket open, just enough so that she could stick out her left hand, using her legs to keep the small opening intact so that she could try to dig out more space for herself.

Her legs started slipping, but she pushed her right hand up, ignoring the pain in it as she pushed the lid up again, securing her legs against it once again. She continued digging upwards, trying to get more room for the lid to move so that she would be able to climb out of there, but it was taking too long.

Her lungs were screaming in protest due to the lack of oxygen, put she kept digging and eventually, the lid lifted a little bit more. She breathed heavily, but thanks to the fact that she had her mouth covered, she could calm herself more efficiently, thus calm her own breathing as she focused on trying to get out.

She dug and she dug and she honestly doesn't even remember how she managed it, but after a while, there was enough room for her to wiggle the upper half of her body out of the coffin. She kept digging upwards and she used both of her hands now, the lid still painfully digging into her hips since her legs were still inside of the coffin. Somehow, she managed to move upward, slipping more and more out of the grave, closer to the fresh air.

She could almost feel it on her fingertips, and she tried once again to make a noise, but there was no place to move, much less for her to get a good enough breath to finally scream like she had wanted to do since she had woken up.

Finally, a miracle, as her index finger moved across the final layer of soil and she touched coldness. She wiggled her fingers and tried to get a grip of anything that would help her haul herself up. Grasping some tufts of grass, she continued her climb, which honestly felt a lot longer than six feet and just as she started feeling her muscles give in, she got her head out of the ground and breathed fresh air for the first time since who knows how long.

-§-

The girl laid on the ground, breathing heavily, muscles screaming in protest at every move she made. She pulled away the sweater she had been pressing to her mouth and inhaled sharply through her nose, letting out a strangled giggle into the cold night air.

_I made it_, she thought to herself and briefly, that black veil that had been in front of her eyes when she had woken up lifted. She saw herself, screaming at someone, blaming them for thinking of her as another dead girl, telling the person that she had made it, against all odds.

_Oh, the irony._

As quickly as the flash had come, it disappeared and the girl was left with more questions than she had answers, but she decided that she could dwell on that later, after she got herself to safety somehow.

She looked around, not recognizing anything around her and she sat up when she heard some muffled sounds somewhere behind her.

Quickly, she scrambled to her feet upon seeing two people stagger out of the woods, coming toward her slowly. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make them out better, but there was no way to see through the darkness, despite the moon shining above her.

She took a step toward them, but staggered, her exhaustion getting the better of her. She held up her hand toward them, hoping that they could help her somehow, but chills rose on her arms when she realized that they were moaning and hissing at her instead of trying to speak to her.

As they came closer, she realized with horror that the man's head was hanging at a strange angle and the woman's clothes were both ripped and bloodied. Their eyes were hollow and they moved toward her with their hands stretched out in front of them, clearly wanting to grasp her.

She scrambled back, tripping over her own feet, desperately trying to get away from them, but they moved in quicker.

It all happened so fast.

One second, the man, or whatever he was, loomed over her, mouth open as he tried to take a bite out of her arm, and the next, someone had thrown an axe and embedded it inside of his head and the monster had fallen limp on top of her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another man move in, embedding a small knife into the temple of the woman, making her fall limp to the ground. The man turned toward the girl, dagger still in hand as he stalked over to her, raising it above his head.

The girl panicked, raising her hands in the air and a moment later, the man's eyes seemed to soften as he watched her. She was breathing heavily, not knowing what to expect next and finally, the man pulled the monster that was still on top of her off of her body.

"You all right, Kid?" the man gruffly asked. The girl opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out yet again. Instead, she shook her head a firm 'no', making the man raise an eyebrow at her. "Are you a mute or something?"

The girl's only reply was to shrug and put her hand on her throat. She trailed her fingers there for a moment, finally feeling something a little off to the side, underneath her chin. Tracing the puckered skin, she pointed at it and the man moved a little closer, squinting his eyes as if to see better in the darkness.

"You've got yourself a scar there," he told her. "Or at least one in the making. The wound seems to have been closed and it's healing. Looks like a gunshot wound."

The girl felt her body tremble, feeling both exhaustion and fear take over. She blinked a few times, willing the black spots that appeared in her vision away, but in the end, it was of no use, because the world faded into nothingness.

-§-

Morgan had been making his way toward Washington DC when he had heard the familiar sounds of the wandering dead.

At first, he had listened to try and pinpoint how many of them there was, but when he realized there were only two, he decided that they weren't even worth dealing with. Then he had heard how their growls picked up and he had realized that they must have found something to attack. If it was an animal, he could capture it himself and then eat it, so he decided to follow the sounds.

When he had come out in the small clearing, he had seen the two walkers attack the poor girl, who didn't even seem to know what she was doing and Morgan reacted quickly, disposing of the two dead ones before turning to the girl, prepared to kill her too if she had been bitten.

He had seen the fear in her eyes and looked her over once, seeing no blood whatsoever on her body. Instead, he noticed the cuts on her cheek and forehead and the way she was covered in dirt. His eyes traveled behind her and he saw the place in the ground where the soil had been freshly dug up and instantly realized that the girl must have climbed out of her own grave.

She didn't speak when he addressed her, but it seemed like she at least understood him. When the girl tilted her chin up, he saw the marks of another wound that someone had stitched together, despite clearly thinking that she had been dead.

That someone must have really cared about her, if they had bothered to put clean clothes on her body and stitch her up before they buried her. But the girl was alive and breathing, so how had they not noticed that she hadn't been dead before they had tried to put her body at rest?

The girl fainted and Morgan watched her helplessly, wondering what he should do.

He had been on his way to DC, following in the steps of Rick Grimes, but it was taking him a while considering that he was on foot. Finding this girl like this, he knew that he couldn't just leave her in the clearing because that would most certainly end with her becoming walker food. Although, she was injured too, so he was aware of the risk it would probably bring if he took her with him since she would most likely just slow him down.

Still, he couldn't just leave her.

Morgan groaned at himself, looking around the clearing before looking down at the unconscious girl again. She couldn't be older than seventeen, from what he could see. What would it say about him if he just left her behind?

He recalled seeing a small cabin about a mile back and when he looked her over again, he made his decision.

Securing the knife into his belt, he gently lifted the girl so that he wouldn't by any chance injure her more. He began walking back the path that he had come from, making the decision to at least give the kid a chance to survive.

If she did, he might even take her with him.

-§-

The girl didn't come to until half a day later.

She had been exhausted and gravely injured still and after the adrenaline had worn off, she could feel the pain all over her body.

"Hey, lil' Lady," the man who had saved her said and she looked up at him from the small cot she was laying in. She didn't recognize her surroundings and for a moment she panicked, wanting to sit up, but the man gently pushed her back on the bed. "Whoa there. You have to rest," he told her. "I noticed that your wrist was hurt so I bandaged it up again and I've cleaned the cuts on your face and your fingers."

The girl touched the wound on her cheek and stared at him with wide eyes as she looked down at her chipped nails that were now clean of the blood that had spilled when she had tried to scratch her way out of her grave. She wanted to thank him, but no words came out of her mouth yet again. It was frustrating because somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she was able to speak, but still, the words refused to form, no matter how hard she tried.

"I think you might have hurt your vocal cords when you were shot," the man said. "I suggest you don't try to speak for a while and maybe they'll recover on their own." He shrugged, clearly not knowing for sure if she would ever be able to recover and get her voice back, but the girl didn't want to dwell on it until it actually became a problem.

She managed to make a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a groan and the man looked up at her. Reaching for his hand, she took it and gently squeezed, nodding once to show him her gratitude.

"No biggie," the man replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "Wouldn't have been right to just leave you there. Name's Morgan, by the way," he added, almost thoughtfully.

_Morgan_, she though, committing the name to her memory. He had saved her life twice now; once from those people who had attacked her and a second time by not leaving her in the woods.

"You're weak, lil' Lady," Morgan told her after a moment. "I was on my way to DC when I came across you. Pure luck that I found you, I tell you. Would have been dead for sure if I hadn't stepped in." He watched her quietly for another moment before reaching over to grab a flask. He held it up for her to take, "Water?"

She nodded gratefully and immediately gulped down some of it, almost choking as she did. He gently patted her back as she coughed and shook his head at her, "I suppose you have a name, even if you can't say it right now, don't you?"

The girl watched him and finally shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you have a name?" he repeated, but the girl could only shrug again.

She tried to remember, she really did, but no name came to her mind.

"Don't you remember your name?" Morgan asked and the girl shook her head as a reply. "Do you remember anything before waking up in that grave?"

Yet again, she shook her head.

Morgan sighed exasperatedly, running a hand over his bald head, "I guess I'll just keep calling you lil' Lady then. That okay, kid?"

The girl nodded, looking at him questionably. She patted the cot she was laying in and looked around the cabin before moving her eyes back to him.

"You want to know if we're gonna be staying here?" Morgan clarified, the girl nodding. "I figured I might as well help you get better. I have all the time in the world considering that the world has gone to shit since dead have started walking and all that..." he trailed off when he saw the fear in the girl's eyes. "You don't remember the turn?"

The girl only stared at him, knowing that that would be answer enough. Morgan sighed again and then began explaining to her what had been going on in the world for a few years now.

When he was done with his story, he pointed at the scars on her face, "That's a sign that you must have been a fighter, Lady. You dug yourself out of that grave with all the injuries you have and that is the only reason that I stayed here." The girl shot him another questioning look. "You have the will to fight and live inside of you. Even if you don't remember who you were, you made it out and if you get strong enough after I help you heal, I might even take you with me to DC. If you'd like that, that is?"

The girl nodded immediately, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make it in this new world alone, even if she had survived her own supposed death. She wondered if she had had a family before, if they had been the ones to bury her. Morgan had told her how someone had stitched up both the back of her head and the place where the bullet had entered and how he assumed that her body had given itself time to recover by itself, lowering her heart rate enough so that the people she had been with assumed that she was dead.

It hurt to think that everyone she might have once known thought that she was dead, but there was no way of going back.

Now all she had was Morgan, and she intended to stick with him until she died for real.

-§-

Two months passed and they walked from one small town to another. The girl's throat began feeling better about a month after she had woken up, but her other injuries were still there. Morgan still made the decision that they needed to start moving if they were going to get to DC any time in the near future, so they had started walking.

The weather had gotten colder and Morgan had given the girl his own jacket, acquiring another one for himself. The girl had wanted to laugh when she realized that they were matching, but since she still couldn't make a sound without sounding as if she was choking, she had just pointed between the two of them and turned her lips up in a smile.

Morgan had only stared at her for a moment and turned around, but the girl could have sworn that she had seen the corner of his mouth twitching.

-§-

It was three months after she had woken up again that she spoke for the first time.

She and Morgan had gone into a small store when suddenly loud banging could be heard from the main door. Eleven walkers stood outside, trying to get in to get to them and the girl looked over at Morgan. He seemed calm enough at first, but when he realized that there was no backdoor, he too began to look a little worried.

They tried to barricade the door, but it was of no use, because when the first walker broke through, the others quickly followed.

The girl had no experience in killing the things so far, because usually it was only one or two that crossed their path and Morgan took care of them since she was still injured.

Morgan pushed her behind him, protecting her the best he could as he started taking down the walkers one by one, but they were too many for him to handle alone. She reacted purely on instinct when she took out the knife that Morgan had gifted her and stabbed one of the walkers that had been close to biting Morgan straight through its temple.

Morgan looked at her shocked for only a moment when she kicked back one of the walkers to earn them more time and then killed two more easily. Soon, the dead ones had been dealt with and the girl dropped her knife, panting as she turned to look at Morgan.

"Where the hell did you learn to fight like that, lil' Lady?" Morgan wondered and she shrugged. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned, putting his hand on her shoulder as she tried to catch her breath.

The fight had exhausted her and her head hurt a little, but she was fine. The black veil that seemed to stand between her and her memories fluttered slightly and for a moment, she saw herself holding a gun, shooting at walkers as they swarmed whatever place it had been that she had once lived in.

"Yes," she rasped as a reply and then her eyes widened when she realized that she had spoken. She grinned at Morgan who was finally smiling at her and she opened her mouth again, "Yes, I'm fine."

Her voice sounded almost robotic considering how hoarse it was, but Morgan laughed, telling her that it would hopefully get back to normal sooner or later. After all, she had suffered from a grave injury and it took time to recover from a gunshot wound like that, especially considering that they had no real medication that could help her progress along.

"Don't strain yourself, Lady," Morgan told her. "Talk only when it's necessary, but it sure is nice to hear your voice."

They grabbed some cans of food that they figured could be good enough to eat and then walked out of the store together. Morgan put his hand on her shoulder blade, gently pushing her along.

"Now, if you don't mind, I've decided that we can work a little on improving your fighting technique even more," he told her, making her smile.

-§-

A month later, they sit next to each other around the small fire she had built them. Morgan had watched her intently as she had gathered the sticks and set them on fire, using a small mirror she had found alone the way.

It seemed that he had been right about her, because some of the things she did, normal girls shouldn't know unless they had become accustomed to surviving in this new world that they lived in. Whoever it was that she had been with before, had taught her things to survive and even though she couldn't remember much about her personal life, it seemed like her brain had allowed her to at least keep her knowledge.

They were watching the small flame together, keeping quiet in case any walkers were wandering the woods around them when the girl found herself getting lost in her own thoughts.

_Beth_.

She frowned at herself and the name that had suddenly popped up in her brain, repeating it once again in her thoughts. Soon enough, her own voice changed into a deeper one.

A man was yelling the name, over and over again.

She closed her eyes, trying to focus; trying to recognize the voice that she knew she _should_ recognize.

A flash of something, pain in the back of her head. She opened her eyes a little and saw the silhouette of a man running after her.

_Beth! Beth! Beth!_

"Lady!"

The girl jumped, startled out of the dream that had seemed more like a memory. She stared at Morgan, who was looking at her worriedly.

"You okay?" he asked and she realized that she was breathing heavily.

"Beth," she mumbled, more to herself than as a reply to him.

"What?"

"Beth," she repeated, this time a little louder as she brushed away a stray piece of blonde hair that had fallen over her eyes when Morgan had shaken her awake. "I think my name is Beth."

Morgan watched her intently, "You remembered?"

"I remembered my name," she clarified. "And a man, calling after me. Nothing else."

Her voice was stronger than it had been before, but there was still a rasp there.

"Beth," Morgan said, deep in thought. "Maybe it's coming back to you, kid? Maybe you'll start remembering more and more?"

Beth shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, I'll still call you lil' Lady, if that's fine with you?" Morgan raised his eyebrow. "Feels weird to call you anything but that."

Beth laughed, and for the first time in God knows how long, it sounded like a real laugh.

She had a name now and maybe, just maybe, she would remember again.

-§-

They found the farm a week later and they decide to stay there a little while, since the winter was harsh.

Morgan repaired some of the fences and Beth did her best to help put up warning bells in case any walkers wander by, but the farm was in a quite remote place and for some reason, it seemed like almost no walkers came around those parts.

They didn't get too comfortable at first, knowing that they would eventually have to move on, but there was something inside of Beth, some kind of itchy feeling that she just couldn't seem to let go of, that made her want to stick around.

One evening when they are eating dinner; a rabbit that Beth somehow caught when she went tracking in the woods nearby, (Morgan doesn't ask anymore where she learned to set traps and track, because it's clear that she doesn't remember.) Beth decided to speak her mind.

"I don't want to go to DC," she told Morgan, who looked up from the book Beth had forced him to read, telling him that he needed a distraction from the crazy world they were living in. "I wanna stay here."

Morgan swallowed down the bite he had in his mouth and lowered his fork to the table, closing the book as he looked at her. "How come?" he asked.

"I don't know," Beth shrugged. "I just feel like this is a good place to stop."

"The people I've been following are heading to DC, Beth," Morgan sighed, saying her name, which usually meant that he was tired and wanted her to see his way and agree with him.

But Beth didn't back down.

"And what do you think we'll find in DC?" she inquired. "More walkers, more death and more despair. This place seems safe enough and maybe we can actually live here for a while, or maybe even permanently."

"Why do you think that?" Morgan frowned. "Because no walker herd has passed us so far? We're not safe anywhere, Beth!"

The blonde only shook her head, "It's not that, Morgan. I just have a feelin' about this place. I think it can be good."

"Is that so..." Morgan trailed off, not looking convinced at all.

"Look," Beth sighed, "I've been havin' dreams lately, about a farmhouse similar to this one. I think I might have lived on a farm once and I think it's good for me to stay here. Maybe I'll remember again if I do."

"So you want to stay because you think you _might_ remember something else?" Morgan snorted. "It's too much of a long shot, kid."

"You can leave," Beth finally said, still determined not to back down. "I'm thankful for your help and everything you've done for me, but I really can't keep going anymore. I need this place, Morgan." Her voice broke and she cleared her throat, feeling how sore it was getting. If she talked too much, it would usually strain and hurt like it had done a couple of months ago when she hadn't been able to speak at all and Beth didn't want to risk losing her voice again. "I need to have hope that I'll remember somethin' again, Morgan. I need somethin' to hold onto and I think I can find that here," she told him.

Morgan watched her for what felt like a million years before reaching into his pocket. He took out a bracelet with white beads, a metallic cross that had darkened slightly hanging off of it. He put it on the table, motioning for her to take it.

Tentatively, she reached for it and took it in her hand.

"You hold onto that," he told her, standing up from the table as he started putting away the dishes. Beth could only watch him and wonder what he had meant.

Hold on to her faith?

Hold on to hope?

"What are you going to do?" Beth finally asked and Morgan shrugged.

"I'm not leaving you behind, Lady," he said, a crooked grin on his face. "If you think that we can have a life here and that it'll be good for you to stay here, I'm staying too. DC can screw itself for all that I care; everyone's probably dead anyway."

"You don't know that, Morgan," Beth said thoughtfully, already regretting that she had put the thought in his head. "Who knows? Maybe you'll cross paths with them again? Miracles do happen." She put the bracelet on and it wrapped around her left wrist nicely. The scar that she had there, possibly from a suicide attempt, was visible, but it felt good to have that cross hanging off that particular wrist.

It was another reminder that she was a survivor and now, the cross was there to remind her to hold on, like Morgan had told her to do.

-§-

Months passed yet again and Beth was upstairs in her small bedroom, alone for the first time in a week.

She and Morgan had gotten so accustomed to each other, that they didn't even need to speak anymore, which Beth was a little thankful for to be honest, since it meant that she could save her voice for rainy days.

Winter had passed, but every now and then the wind would still pick up cold, since it still wasn't spring. Morgan had found an old pickup-truck a month ago and he had used that one to travel around on the roads, scavenging anything that they could use.

Together, they had gotten the farm cleaned up nicely and Beth had personalized her bedroom with the things that she had found and brought back during one of her many trips with Morgan. She liked staying back mostly though, when Morgan went out. She liked the peace and quiet and it gave her a moment to think.

No memories had come back to her yet, but sometimes, at night, she would dream about faceless people who talked to her. She would never see their faces and their voices sounded blended together, but she knew that they had once been a part of her life; now, a part of her past.

Morgan had been away the entire day and Beth had saved him a portion of squirrel stew that she had made with the critters that she had caught during the day.

Beth was laying in her bed when she heard the old pickup-truck pull up outside, but she was surprised to hear more than one engine. Frowning, she stood up from her bed, leaving the small journal that she kept as she tried to sort out the things she remembered and the things she knew, trying to make a time line of what exactly had happened to her before she met Morgan. She walked over to the window and looked outside and saw some shadows moving toward the house.

She panicked at first, wondering if Morgan had been attacked and forced to take the people there, but when she heard the door unlock and Morgan call out to her that everything was fine, she calmed down a bit, smoothing out her shirt before slowly making her way down the stairs.

When she finally stepped out and looked at the people in the living room, she only had a moment to prepare for what happened next.

One of the younger women, who still looked a little older than Beth herself, cried out, almost painfully as she stood from the sofa. She began moving toward Beth, but her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell over before she had the chance to take any more steps in her direction. Beth could only stare as the man who had been next to her– _the Asian_, Beth noted as she cataloged all of them in her mind– reached for the woman and caught her just in time before her head connected with the floor. The other people in the room seemed just as shaken for some reason and Beth looked worriedly at Morgan who seemed to be just as clueless as her as to what was going on.

The man with the long beard took a step forward and whispered in a broken voice, "Beth?"

Beth's eyes flickered over them and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man who had been leaning against the wall for support was now staring at her with wide eyes, just as all the others were too.

Beth swallowed thickly when the woman, who seemed to be the oldest female in the group, practically ran up to her and embraced her with all her might. The woman peppered Beth's face with kisses, squeezing her, muttering and whispering things like "You're alive, I can't believe it!" while Beth remained frozen in her spot.

Her mind was going a thousand miles an hour as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Beth wasn't stupid, so it didn't take long for her to realize that these people had _obviously _known her before, once upon a time. She tried to recognize them or remember them, but she just _couldn't_ and it only served to make her even more frustrated.

She pushed the woman away from herself gently and gave her a puzzled look, pushing the fear she suddenly felt away, "Who are you?"

The woman blinked a couple of times, but remained in her place in front of Beth. Her chin trembled and she let out a gut-wrenching sob, her entire frame shaking as she took a step back from Beth, turning around to face her group again. Beth looked at them as well, but they seemed just as shaken as they had been a moment ago, and now, they looked absolutely _miserable_ as well.

The man who had been leaning against the wall looked down at the floor and Beth noticed that his hands was shaking. She resisted the urge she felt to take a step toward him to give him some kind of comfort, because no matter if she had known these people once, she didn't know them now.

Her eyes moved back to the woman who had fainted, who was now being placed on the couch, looking a little pale and for some reason, her heart seemed to ache for her too.

"She doesn't remember," the older woman sobbed into the shoulder of the man with the beard, who seemed to have his own tears flowing from his eyes.

Beth felt guilty and scared as she took the group in as a whole again, and yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, that black veil fluttered slightly as she recognized the woman's voice as one of the shadows who had been haunting her dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always appreciated! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: Hey people!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has commented on this fic so far! It's very much appreciated and I love all of you! Now that I've finished my final exam, I can finally focus a bit on my writing- so expect more chapters to come! ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 3**

Daryl kept looking at the floor even after Carol had spoken what they had all already understood.

Beth was alive, yes, but she didn't remember them.

Internally, Daryl cursed everything and everyone who had had a part in creating this cruel world where he had somehow miraculously gotten the blonde back into his life, and yet still lost her.

Carol stepped away from Rick's embrace and walked over to Daryl instead, flinging her arms around his middle. He held her closely, way past the awkwardness that had been there in the beginning of their friendship, as she cried into his chest and he decided that he needed to remain strong for her and the others.

He looked over at Rick, who wiped his face, probably from shedding tears of his own and Daryl congratulated himself on managing to keep it together. His eyes fell on Beth again, who was shifting nervously from one foot to the other, looking at them all, her eyes filled with both worry and guilt.

"Guys, we need to check on Maggie," Glenn suddenly spoke from where he was kneeling next to his wife, who was still laying unconscious on the couch.

Daryl didn't blame Maggie for reacting the way she had. Honestly, he felt like he needed to lay down himself.

"We have to try to get her to wake up," Sasha said, her voice sounding thick and Daryl noticed that she too had tears in her eyes.

"Uh, I can get her some water," a soft voice spoke and Daryl closed his eyes, looking down again. Hearing Beth's voice, no matter how raspy in sounded, was like music to his ears. His heart was beating hard in his chest and he had to hold Carol a little tighter, willing himself not to break down in front of everyone.

"Yeah," Morgan said, looking down at Beth still looked a little unsure. "You get her some water, lil' Lady."

Daryl looked up just in time to see Beth pass by him, out into the other room where the kitchen obviously was. As she walked by him, their eyes connected and he heard himself let out a breath upon seeing her beautiful, blue eyes, awake and alive. A pink tint appeared on Beth's cheeks as she walked off and Daryl felt something strange bubble inside of him that he didn't want to think about at the moment, with so many questions roaming inside of his mind.

"How do you know Beth?" Morgan asked once the blonde wasn't in the room anymore. He was looking at Rick, clearly as shocked as them because of this unexpected turn of events.

"She's a part of our family," Rick replied, his voice still thick with emotion.

Morgan nodded thoughtfully as Beth hurried back into the room, a glass filled with water and a clean rag in her hands. She hesitantly walked over to Glenn and offered the items to him, which he took, his breath catching in his throat as their fingers brushed.

Daryl wondered then what if felt like to touch her.

Glenn had clearly yet again been taken aback by the fact that his sister-in-law was actually alive and for a moment, he only stared at Beth with wide eyes, not doing anything to try and rouse Maggie. Carol took a step away from Daryl and walked over to Glenn, putting her hand on his shoulder while easing the rag from his grip.

"I've got this," she mumbled, her eyes flickering from Maggie, to Beth and back to Maggie again. Glenn swallowed and nodded, standing up and walking to stand behind the couch, running a hand through his dark hair.

"We clearly need to talk," Morgan said, breaking the silence that had once again fallen upon them. He motioned for Beth to come to him and Daryl was surprised when the blonde hurried to his side, looking nervous as ever. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest, lil' Lady? You've had enough excitement for tonight and Rick and I need to have a conversation."

Beth nodded, and Daryl couldn't help but notice the relief on her face at being excused. He couldn't even begin to fathom what she must be feeling, but he was pretty sure that confusion was the biggest one of the emotions on that list.

"Okay," Beth replied, beginning to move toward the stairs.

"No, wait!" Carl suddenly explained and Daryl's eyes snapped to the young boy who he had just now noticed had been awake all this time. "Please stay, Beth. Please?"

Just as everyone else, the boy had tears in his eyes upon seeing Beth and for the first time in so long, Daryl saw the child inside of Carl that had been lost ever since his friend had been killed.

Beth looked at Carl with uncertain eyes, shifting from one foot to the other. It was evident that she didn't know what to do in this situation. She wanted to get away from them, Daryl noted, mostly because she didn't know them and until they all decided on how to deal with her memory loss, he wanted her out of there too; if only to protect her from having a mental break down.

"What's your name?" Beth wondered, finally facing Carl.

"Carl," the boy choked out, a tear slipping from his eye.

A look of sympathy appeared on Beth's face and she nodded slowly, "How 'bout I show you to one of the rooms, so that you can get some rest, Carl? I'm guessin' that you're tired after travelin' for so long."

Daryl's chest tightened a little, because in that second, he saw the old Beth Greene; the one who cared about Carl and Judith as if they had been her own. Her eyes flickered over to him and he realized that he must have let out a sigh or something to draw her attention, but then, he noticed that no one else had looked at him, which meant that Beth must have felt the urge to look at him all by herself.

Their eyes met yet again and momentarily, everything that had been wrong these past seven months faded away, and all he could see was Beth.

The moment passed quickly though, when Beth broke eye contact with him to look over at Rick, who had agreed that Carl should head off to sleep along with Judith.

"I'll show you guys to the bedrooms," Beth said, beckoning Carl forward with her hand. The boy didn't even hesitate as he walked up to her and took her hand. Beth smiled lightly at him and Daryl watched as Michonne rose and walked over with a sleeping Judith in her hands.

"Do you mind if I come with you and put the baby to bed too?" Michonne asked Beth, who looked wary, but finally shook her head.

"Not at all," she replied, giving Michonne a crooked smile. "I think I actually found an old crib in one of the rooms when Morgan and I cleaned it up, but we put it in the closet upstairs. Maybe you could use that for..." she trailed off, looking at the sleeping baby in Michonne's arms.

"Judith," Michonne filled in and Beth once again nodded.

"You can just follow me, I guess," she said, sending one last glance toward the other people in the room before walking upstairs, pulling Carl with her. Michonne turned and gave Rick a small nod before following the petite blonde up the stairs and out of their view.

It was a little easier to breathe now that Beth wasn't there anymore. Daryl had been in such a shock that he seemed to have forgotten how to work his lungs properly, but now, he was craving a cigarette to calm himself and to clear his head. His fingers itched to reach for the pack he had in his back pocket, but he knew he needed to stick around for the conversation with Morgan.

"Abraham," Rick said, turning around to face the man who stood stoically in the other corner of the room. "Do you mind taking Glenn and Tyreese with you to bring our things inside?"

"Not at all," Abraham replied. "Just tell me where to put the stuff when we get in."

Rick nodded, turning to Tara, "Can you take Rosita and Eugene upstairs and look how many rooms are available and set up some sort of sleeping arrangements?"

"You think there's enough room for all of us?" Rosita inquired, a frown on her face.

"There are enough rooms," Morgan told them. "The farmhouse is big. Probably belonged to one of the richer families. Not that the money did them any good in the end..."

Daryl resisted the urge to snort, recalling that time that he and Beth had set fire to the moonshine shack using a wad of cash. Now the memory just felt a little bittersweet, knowing that he was the only one out of the two of them that actually remembered.

"I'll divide the rooms fairly for all of us," Eugene said. "It's the least I can do."

"I can help if anything needs cleaning up," Father Gabriel said. "It's clear that we all need to come together at this happy time."

"Happy time?" Daryl raised an eyebrow at him. "Ain't nothin' happy 'bout it. We buried the girl alive an' she had to claw her way outta her own grave."

His statement made it all much more real and the guilt of what they had done suddenly washed over him. He couldn't imagine the fear Beth must have felt when she had woken up inside that coffin. Feeling horrible about it didn't do any good now though, and he knew that he would let himself think more on it later, when Morgan told them exactly how much they had missed in Beth's life since they buried her.

Carol and Sasha began tending to Maggie and Noah, who hadn't spoken a word since they had seen Beth, stuck around to assist them while the others moved on to their own tasks that had been appointed to them.

"Let's go to the kitchen," Morgan suggested to Rick, who gave him a curt nod. As he passed Daryl, he motioned for him to follow and Daryl didn't even hesitate to go after them.

They sat down around the small dinner table, Rick and Daryl in front of Morgan, who clasped his hands together and put them on the table.

"Where do we even begin?" Rick asked, burying his head in his hands as he let out a sigh. "How the hell is she alive?"

Daryl looked over at Morgan, expecting him to have the answer to the question that he had been asking himself ever since he had laid eyes on Beth tonight, but the older man simply shrugged.

"You tell me," he said. "I found her after she had somehow dug herself out of her grave. Two walkers had her cornered and she didn't know what the hell she was doing, much less what they were."

"Was she awake when ya found her?" Daryl questioned, making Morgan look over at him.

"You dense or somethin'?" Morgan frowned. "I just told you that the girl had dug herself out of her own grave. Of course she was awake. But she was also exhausted and heavily injured."

Daryl shot the man a glare, "She say anythin' to ya?"

"She fainted from exhaustion, poor thing," Morgan told them. "For a moment, I didn't know if I should take her with me. I was following in your steps, heading for DC," he pointed at Rick.

"DC's a bust," Daryl put in. "We were headin' there for a cure, but it was bullshit."

"Beth said something similar," Morgan smirked. "When she convinced me to stay here on the farm. She thought it looked familiar and that it might somehow jog her memories."

"What _does_ she remember?" Daryl asked, desperately wanting to know. He was trying not to think of the possibility that Beth had somehow remembered the farm she had grown up on because he wasn't ready to get his hopes up; he would never be lucky like that.

Morgan seemed to hesitate, "Just her name. It took her months to remember that alone. Sometimes I think she remembers a thing or two, but she keeps it to herself. Probably just small fragments, but she sort of gets a little dazed when it happens. Her breathing picks up."

Frustration settled over Daryl and he let out a harsh breath, running his fingers through his hair. "She doesn't remember anythin' about us? Her family?"

"Unfortunately not," Morgan replied. "And before you ask, I have no idea how she survived either. I've seen the wound and concluded that the bullet somehow must've missed the important parts of her brain. The fact that you lot stitched her up saved her life, I think. Gave her body a chance to recover on its own."

"Doesn' change the fact that we buried her alive," Daryl muttered, more to himself than anything.

After he had carried the blonde he had thought to be dead out of the hospital, he hadn't let go of her until they had found the place that they wanted to put her to rest in. He had insisted that they sew together the head wound, both in the back and under her chin where the bullet had entered, if only so that the girl would look like the angel that she had been.

Tara and Rosita had taken the task of doing so, since it was a bit easier on them since they had never actually known her and when they helped clean her body up Daryl had gone out of his mind to look for a coffin, not wanting the girl to be buried without one. Maggie had just cried, day in and day out, until they finally buried her, Daryl digging the grave himself, not letting anyone else do it.

He had lowered Beth into that coffin.

He had been the one to close it for the final time, silently crying over her dead body and the smile that he would never be able to see again.

Everyone else had known that it was his way of dealing with things and they had allowed him to grieve, even with them present. They didn't leave her grave until two days later, when they decided that they needed to keep moving along and Daryl had looked back one last time, wishing that Beth was standing beside him, telling him to flip the world off for being wicked.

"I helped the lil' Lady to get back up on her feet," Morgan continued, "and she helped me work my way back to sanity. I know I lost if for a while, Rick, but Beth gave me someone to take care of again. Gave me someone to protect."

The older man glanced at Daryl for some reason, and suddenly, Daryl felt as if he was being inspected.

"Why do you keep callin' her that? Lil' Lady?" Rick wondered.

Morgan chuckled, "After all that and that's the question you're gonna ask? I told you she didn't know her own name and she couldn't even speak the first few months, so I called her that and I guess it just stuck."

Daryl continued to stare at him, not knowing what to say. Instead, he placed his elbows on the table and covered his face with his hands. "I don' understand," he finally admitted, his tone dripping with both confusion and frustration, "how is she alive?"

Daryl felt Rick put his hand on his back and he heard how Morgan stood up from his seat. Curious, Daryl looked up only to see Morgan take out a bottle of scotch from one of the cabinets, along with three glasses. He poured them each a drink and pushed it toward Daryl, looking hm in the eyes as he spoke, "Don't matter. She's alive and you should all just be thankful for that."

Daryl looked over at Rick, who was eying the beverage, deep in thought. Even though he wanted to know how the girl had survived the wound that they had thought to be fatal, he knew that Morgan was right.

Beth was alive and that was all that mattered.

But was she really Beth if she didn't remember who she had once been?

From what Daryl had seen so far the girl reminded him of how she had been when they had been residing on the Greene Farm. She had been shy and awkward around them all before they had disposed of the walkers in the barn, and after that, she had been on the edge before she had made the decision to stay alive.

While they had been staying at the prison, Daryl had begun seeing another part of her. She had been more open to the others, bonding with both Michonne and Carol, forming some kind of mother-daughter relationship with the older woman and a strong friendship with the other. Sasha had taught her how to fire a rifle properly, but Beth had never believed in violence; only when it came to killing walkers did she think differently.

The first time he had noticed just how much she had grown up since they had first met, was around the time that she had gotten together with Zach. The boy had been falling head over heels in love with her, but Daryl had seen that Beth didn't allow herself to get too emotionally attached. At first he had thought that she was just playing hard to get, because that day when they had been going on a run, he had seen her kiss the younger man and flirt almost like a professional. He had buried the thoughts deep inside though and when he had come back to tell her that Zach had been killed, she had proven herself more mature than he had ever thought of her before.

Well, either mature, or very damaged.

He wasn't sure what behavior was supposed to be expected of them in the world they lived in now. If he were to travel back a few years, to the time before the turn, he was sure that all of them would be certified as crazy people.

Which brought the question: what was Beth now?

If she had woken up, not remembering that the dead were roaming the streets nowadays, without any memories of her past... Did that mean that she was the most sane one out of them all? That she was once again innocent and uncorrupted?

Daryl recalled the time the two of them had spent alone. Those few weeks they had spent in solitude, with only each other as company, had been life changing for Daryl. He hadn't even realized it until that night in the funeral home, that he had come across her playing the piano. She had looked so innocent, yet so grown up and his chest had filled with some kind of emotion that he had been completely unfamiliar with. The following night, he had basically admitted to her that she had changed his mind about people, but he hadn't had a chance to explain any further before the place had been swamped with walkers.

He had promised himself that the next time he saw Beth alive, he would tell her what he had wanted to say to her that night. The only problem was, that even he didn't know what it was.

When he thought about it, he knew that he had had words on the tip of his tongue, but in the blur that had followed, the words had been lost to him. Yet, he still swore that he would tell her, as soon as he figured it out for himself.

After they had buried her, he once again tried to force his mind into remembering, but the only thing that seemed to be recorded in his brain, was the image of Beth falling to the floor; dead before even hitting it.

He knew that he cared about her deeply, but he had a feeling that there was more to it as well. It was to late though, because the girl was gone and she would never hear him admit it, even if he only admitted it to himself.

Now, she was alive and he still had no clue what he had wanted to say to her that night during their last supper together.

It gnawed at him from the inside, but what would he be able to do now? She didn't even know him anymore, even though she had ended up becoming the person who knew him the best. It was all in the past now because he was a stranger. Once again, he had driven up on his motorcycle on the farm she resided in and she had no idea who he was or what he was capable of.

She had no idea what he would do for her.

And to be honest, Daryl didn't know if he should feel happy about that.

-§-

Beth led the woman with the sword up the stairs, dragging Carl along with her. The young boy didn't seem to be able to tear his eyes off of her and she wondered for a moment how they had known each other before she had been lost.

She refused to refer to herself as having died. Obviously, she understood that the had thought her to be dead, but she hadn't been, so why should she say that she had been?

"Carl," she said thoughtfully, opening the door to the room opposite hers. "This is one of the smaller rooms with a single bed. If you'd like to, you can sleep in here."

"I would like to sleep in the same room as Judy and Dad, if that's okay?" Carl requested, a slight blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"Your father...?" Beth wondered, trailing off as she looked at the woman.

"Rick," she told Beth. "The man that would be a perfect Santa Clause if his beard had been white."

Beth couldn't help but grin at the comparison the woman had made, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name earlier...?"

"Michonne," the woman introduced herself, still cradling the baby in her arms so she couldn't shake Beth's hand.

"Michonne," Beth repeated, trying the name out, hoping that it might trigger a memory or something. The same wave of annoyance hit her when she realized that the veil was still there, not lifting the slightest at the name. "Do you want to sleep in the same room as them? The master bedroom has a pullout couch too, so you can probably all fit in there."

"I'll talk to Rick and the others about the sleeping arrangements later," Michonne replied.

"Don't be like that, Michonne," Carl said, bumping her lightly with his shoulder. "Ya can sleep with us. Judith likes you."

Michonne raised an eyebrow at the boy, who only grinned. "I thought you and I were best friends?" she asked him and Carl shrugged.

"If you teach me how to fight with that sword, we might be," he bargained, but the woman only shook her head.

Beth watched their interactions and noted how easy and open their relationship seemed to be. She wondered if she had been that close to them once, and it hurt her to know that she might have been.

Out of all the people in the world, Morgan had to have come across the people who were supposedly her family; the people who he had no memory of, whatsoever. While she wanted to get to know them, she was afraid that she might learn something about herself that she wouldn't like.

The possibility of her being different from what they remembered was way too high and she was scared that if they got to know the person she had become these last seven months, they wouldn't like her, and leave her behind again.

A small voice in the back of her head tried to reassure her that the reactions she had seen tonight was proof enough that these people had cared about her, and that they still did, meaning that they wouldn't leave her behind again.

Although, she also knew that if they _did _leave her, she would still have Morgan, who had stayed with her for seven months, even if he hadn't known her at all in the beginning.

"Beth?"

Carl's voice forced her out of her thoughts and Beth winced, feeling a head ache coming up.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking at him.

"The crib you mentioned earlier? Do you think it'll fit in the room?" the boy asked, making Beth snap into action. She walked into the master bedroom and pushed the couch all by herself to the far corner, leaving one corner open by the window, far from the door, open for the crib.

"I just need to get the crib," Beth told them, already walking to the adjoining closet which had been big enough to fit the crib without a problem. She and Morgan had thrown out all the moth-eaten clothes that had been in there and Morgan had only kept the few things that he would be able to wear. Some clothes they had put in plastic bags that they had found downstairs and then put them downstairs in another closet that they barely used. Perhaps some of the clothes would fit these newcomers, so Beth reminded herself to take them out first thing tomorrow morning for them to look through.

"I'll help you," Carl offered, but Beth quickly shook her head.

"It's fine."

"But I want to help," Carl insisted. "Don't strain yourself."

"I said it's _fine_," Beth said, the words coming out a little harsher than she had meant for them to. A surprised look covered Carl's face and Beth immediately knew that he wasn't used to her snapping at him like that.

Pushing down the guilt she felt, she walked over to the closet and pulled the crib out. The air around them felt awkward and Beth knew that she needed to change the conversation up a little. "So, Carl. Before, when we knew each other; were we friends?"

"Yeah," Carl replied, looking happy to let the uncomfortable moment pass. "We were. Honestly, I had a small crush on you for a while, but you were nice about it," he admitted, a blush once again dusting his cheeks.

"Oh?" Beth grinned, finding the young boy cute to admit something like that. "You're not still crushing on me, are you?" she said, trying to tease him a bit to test the waters.

Carl didn't seem bothered by it, which meant that she indeed _had _had a close friendship with him, once upon a time. "Nah," he drawled, shaking his head. "You became more of a big sister to me. You even yelled at me once when I disrespected my Mom..."

Beth saw the way Carl's smile immediately fell as he mentioned his mother. She glanced over at Michonne who shook her head, confirming what Beth already suspected.

"I'm sure your mother loved you very much," Beth softly said, not knowing what else to say.

Carl only shrugged, "I guess. It's been almost two years now. She died when she gave birth to Judith, and I think her birthday is coming up in a few months."

"We can throw Judith a party," Beth told him. "And have a nice quiet dinner to remember your mother. Maybe it'll even bring back some of my memories."

Carl looked over at Michonne for a moment before turning back to Beth, "That would be nice. We don't really celebrate birthdays anymore, but I think Judy would like it."

Beth nodded, "Help me carry the crib." She figured that she owed the boy the change of subject, noting that everything related to his mother was a painful subject. "Hey, do either of you know how old I am?" she wondered, looking at them expectantly as she got to changing the sheets on the beds.

"You should be around nineteen," Carl told her. "Last time I saw you, you were eighteen, but that was before you were–"

"Shot?" Beth filled in the gap and Carl nodded. Both he and Michonne seemed to have questions, but Beth knew she had no real answers, only speculations that she had decided to leave behind. "I don't know how I survived," she told them. Lifting her chin, she showed them the scar she now sported due to the gunshot that had made them believe that she was dead, "I woke up with this and no memories whatsoever. No clue to how I'm still alive, so don't bother asking or trying to figure it out."

"You're here, Beth," Michonne spoke after having been quiet for so long. Beth had a feeling that the woman didn't speak much in general. "That's all that matters."

Beth gave her an appreciative nod before putting the final pillow inside the crib. Michonne lowered the baby, who was still sleeping soundly and for a moment, Beth itched to lift her up and cradle her.

_What strange urge_, she thought, looking down at the sleeping child.

"I'll leave you guys to get ready," she told them. "My room is the one down the hall, across from the small bedroom I showed you guys earlier. If you need anything, Morgan usually sleeps downstairs on the couch, but I'm here too." She cleared her throat, feeling it strain a little and was happy to see that both Michonne and Carl nodded in understanding. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Uh, good night." She excused herself and started for the door, but there was one more question burning in her mind that she needed the answer to. "Michonne," she said, turning back around in the doorway.

The woman looked up at her and silently asked what she needed. Beth took a deep breath, not knowing how to ask without sounding as if she was completely clueless; which she actually was in this case.

"That woman downstairs," she said. "The one who fainted... Who is she?"

Michonne hesitated, clearly not knowing if she should tell Beth the truth. "Are you sure it's good for you to just get all the answers like this? It might be better if you feel around us first, maybe trigger your own memory?"

"Please, Michonne," Beth said. "I did get a feeling about her, and even though I might not recognize her face or know her name, I need a place to start. I need something to go on and then I'll take one day at a time, I promise."

"I just don't want you to damage your brain or something," Michonne said. "I'm not sure how it even works considering that you were shot through it, but I suppose I can give you this." She looked at Beth for another moment before saying, "The woman's name is Maggie. She's your sister."

Beth inhaled sharply, staring at Michonne with wide eyes.

She had a sister.

_A sister_.

A real, living blood relative– _that she didn't even remember_.

She swallowed thickly, "And the Asian guy? The one who caught her when she fell. He's...?"

"Her husband," Michonne answered.

Beth could only nod, her mouth clamped shut as the thoughts inside of her head swirled around. She mumbled a thank you and a final good night before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. She walked straight over to her room, not looking back even once, breathing in and out to calm herself.

She felt horrible.

Horrible for not remembering, not knowing who they were; almost dying.

She wanted to know the details, but she knew she was far from ready to hear anything that they had to say. However, she had a good feeling about Michonne, who had been honest and told her that she didn't believe that Beth was ready to just hear it all, black and white, straight and honest. She needed time to heal mentally _and_ physically, since her vocal cords were still healing and she got those massive head aches from time to time.

Then there was Maggie; her _sister_.

Beth _wanted_ to get to know her, but she wasn't sure if Maggie would be ready to deal with her considering the state her mind was in. What if Maggie couldn't accept the fact that Beth no longer was the person she had once been? What if she didn't understand the pain and suffering that Beth went through as she recovered from her injuries?

What if she didn't understand that Beth was far from okay, not taking her memory loss into the calculation?

Beth put on her pajamas; a pair of red flannel pants that Morgan had found her and a short-sleeved dark gray t-shirt with an arrow on it. Morgan had found it funny after they had discovered that Beth apparently knew how to use a crossbow, when she had found a toy one that she had played around with around the house, releasing a bold straight into Morgan's glass of water that she had been aiming for. He had told her they would eventually try to find her a real one, but they were difficult to come by, so it had just never happened.

The man who had been leaning against the wall had a crossbow, Beth remembered. Maybe he had been the one who had taught her?

She laid down on her bed and curled under the covers, already feeling her exhaustion set in. Her room was one of the smaller ones at the end of the hallway, but she didn't mind because she found it quite cozy. It had a window that showed her the front lawn so that she would be able to spot any walkers coming by from afar, or any humans that might be a threat. It was effective and Beth loved every part of it.

Another positive thing with it being so small, was that no one else would be able to sleep there. There were plenty of rooms for the newcomers and Beth was glad that she would be able to keep her sanctuary. She needed privacy to deal with the turn of events and she needed sleep, because she was exhausted.

Closing her eyes, she tried to listen to what was going on downstairs, but it didn't take long for her dreams to consume her and for her to slip from the world, in a deep sleep.

-§-

"We get everythin' settled?" Daryl asked Glenn as he walked toward the living room again.

"Yeah, the rooms have been divided, so Abraham's gang and Tara will be staying downstairs with Sasha and Tyreese while the rest of us sleep upstairs," Glenn explained. "Morgan prefers the couch here in the living room, so as soon as Maggie wakes up, she and I'll head upstairs."

"Michonne an' Rick?" Daryl wondered, looking over at Rick who was catching up with Morgan, listening to the way Beth had clawed her way back to the surface and done the impossible by cheating death.

"Beth showed us to the master bedroom," Michonne replied behind him, almost making him jump out of his shoes.

"Damn it, ya gotta show yourself 'fore ya scare the shit outta me," Daryl glared, but Michonne's lips only quirked up.

"What's with you?" she wondered. "I figured you'd be over the moon by now."

"Ya can't expect any of us to know how to deal with all of this," Daryl shook his head. "I'm glad she's alive, but she don't know us. It's like she's still gone."

Michonne contemplated him for a moment, "I just talked to her earlier. She seems a little different, but deep down, I could still see our Beth there. She just needs time... We all do."

Daryl didn't know what to say to that, so he just shrugged. He wanted to know what Beth and Michonne had talked about and he wanted to talk to Beth, but he didn't dare to do it yet. He didn't want to overwhelm her and he most certainly didn't want to overwhelm _himself_, which he knew he would be doing if he even chances a glance at her.

The few times their eyes had connected tonight, he felt that feeling again, that he just couldn't name. It felt as if years had passed since he had last seen her, but at the same time it felt as if no time had passed at all.

Everything he had felt before was still there and he knew that it wouldn't go away just because Beth had lost her memories.

The girl had gotten a second chance at life and all Daryl wanted for her was to be safe and happy. If he could only help her with one of those, he would give his life to keep her shielded from all the evils of the world. He would keep an eye on her, but only from a distance, because he didn't want to scare her away. If she ever decided to come to him, to get to know him all over again, he wouldn't refuse her, but he would not push her to do so either.

It needed to be her choice and whatever it turned out to be, he would respect it.

"Beth," Maggie mumbled half-dazed from the couch. "Was it a dream? Please tell me it wasn't a dream."

Glenn hurried over to his wife and took her hand, smiling down at her with tears in his eyes. "It wasn't a dream, Mags. Beth is here. She's _alive_!"

Maggie's lip trembled and tears sprung from her eyes again as she sat up and hugged Glenn tightly. The older Greene sibling looked at him from over Glenn's shoulder and smiled, happiness and relief all over her face.

Daryl knew that someone needed to tell her about Beth and figured that it might as well come from him. "There's more," he told Maggie, who pulled away from Glenn, looking over at hi expectantly.

Glenn shook his head, "Daryl, we can tell her tomorrow–"

"She'll find out tomorrow' on her own, Glenn!" Daryl snapped. "It's better she hear it from us."

"What?" Maggie asked. "What's wrong?"

"Beth doesn't remember anythin' from before she woke up," Daryl told her. "She don't know anythin' 'bout us. Her friends, her family. She doesn't remember."

Maggie's eyes glazed over for a moment and she looked deep in thought. Daryl wasn't sure how the woman was going to take it considering the hell she had gone through since Beth's supposed demise. Daryl himself had been on the verge of losing it a few times, so on some level, he knew that Maggie had been going through some hard shit herself.

"Don't matter," Maggie finally said. "I don't care if she remembers me or not. She's _alive_, Daryl and I wanna stay here with her. If she ever decides she wants to leave, I'll be going with her. I'm not leaving her again."

Carol who was standing on the side next to Tyreese and Sasha nodded, "It's settled then."

"Beth stays, we stay," Sasha agreed and another affirmative nod came from Tyreese.

"In that case," Morgan spoke from behind Daryl, "why don't you all get yourself some sleep? The lil' Lady hasn't been planning on leaving this joint behind any time soon, so you might as well get settled."

"I'll keep first watch," Daryl said, reaching for his crossbow.

"Daryl, you need sleep," Rick said, his hand on Daryl's shoulder stopping him from moving any further. "You've been keeping watch almost every night for the past seven months. I think you deserve all the rest you can get."

"There's a room with a single bed at the end of the hallway," Michonne told him. "You can get your rest there and all the privacy you want."

"Eugene said he put up post-its on all the bedrooms with the names of the people sleeping there, so we'll know where to find each other," Rick informed. "Michonne, you'll be staying with me and the kids in the master bedroom, if that's fine with you."

"I'll help with Judith if you need it," was all Michonne said. Rick gave her an appreciative smile and a curt nod before turning to Carol.

"You and Noah will be sharing, if that's okay? Abraham already showed him the room before he and Rosita went to bed, so he should already be settled in," he said and Carol nodded, reaching for her backpack.

"I'll keep watch tonight," Morgan told them. "But it's rarely needed here. Not sure why, but the walkers almost never seem to come this way."

"We're not takin' any chances," Daryl said. "Since we're all settled then, I'm off." He grabbed his crossbow and the bag he carried with him, slinging it over his shoulder. "G'night."

"We'll look around tomorrow," Rick called after him. "Maybe divide some chores or somethin'."

"Yeah, yeah," Daryl muttered dismissively, walking up the stairs. He passed the other rooms with post its on them, their names scribbled on Eugene's messy handwriting along with a note on the door that apparently lead to the bathroom. Daryl walked down the hallway until he reached the door with his name on it and opened it.

The room was small, but not necessarily smaller than the cells they had had in the prison. The bed looked comfortable enough and Daryl snorted when he saw the pink sheets. He didn't really care about the color, but it had been unexpected and he wondered briefly whether Beth had been the one to put them there.

It seemed like something the old her would do, but he wasn't so sure about the new one.

Daryl shrugged off his stuff, putting them on the floor and lit the flashlight he always had with him. He wasn't sure whether there were any lamps around that wouldn't need electricity, but for tonight he would be good. Rick and he would figure out the rest with Morgan tomorrow, probably.

When he walked over to close his door though, he froze for a moment, flashlight in his mouth. On the door across from his, just a meter and a half away actually, there was a bright yellow post-it.

_Beth_.

Daryl read her name over and over again, wondering momentarily if Michonne had somehow instructed him to get this room on purpose. The woman was infuriating and she, along with everyone else in their group, had come to the conclusion that Beth had meant something to Daryl; that she had been someone _important_.

Yet, none of them would ever understand just how important, mostly because Daryl hadn't figured it out himself yet.

And now the girl who meant so much to him was sleeping in the room across from his.

Daryl swallowed, reading her name again, taking the flashlight out of his mouth as he stepped into the hallway again. He moved toward the door, wanting and _needing_ to see her one last time before he fell asleep, just to make sure that she really, truly was there.

His hand hovered on the door knob and he brushed the gold-painted hold with his fingers once before finally pulling his hand away with another sigh.

If he opened that door, and she wasn't there, he would die all over again inside and there would be no coming back from it ever again.

He had seen her, Michonne had talked to her and her name was on the door. That had to be enough for him right now.

Gently, he put his hand on the white-painted door, closing his eyes as he imagined her sleeping soundly in a soft bed on the other side. Her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted, her cheeks pink, like they had been during those nights he had stayed awake all night, keeping her safe while keeping watch, when they had been alone in the woods after the fall of the prison.

That had been before he had realized how amazing she truly was; before the shack and before the funeral home. Daryl could still remember the way her blush had deepened one morning when she had woken up to find that he had placed his angel-winged vest around her, after she had started shivering, since they couldn't light a fire and risk getting found by walkers.

She had thanked him and he hadn't said anything, only glared at the ground as he began packing their things up again, ready to move to their next location.

Finally, Daryl pulled away from the door and walked back into his room. He shrugged off his vest and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall. He laid down on the bed and tried to get used to the softness now that he had slept on the ground for the better of these last seven months.

Twisting and turning, he finally settled on his back, putting his arm over his eyes to keep out the moonlight that shone in through the window. Before he fell asleep, he wondered whether Beth had the same view from her room as he had from his, and reminded himself to ask Morgan for some damn sheets that didn't make him feel like he was sleeping inside the house of a Barbie doll.

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><p><strong>Note: As you can see, the chapters from now on will be mixed with Daryl and Beth's point of views. I might even have another character in focus after a while, if you want... Oh an it's kinda difficult to keep track of all the characters in this fic, so as the story processes, I might overlook some of them a little, but remember: they're still there in the background, but not in focus! I'm not ready to start killing them off...yet... ;)<strong>

**Thank you for reading! Don't forget to show your support! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: 9k people! 9k! I can't believe that this chapter is over 9k long!**

**Okay, back to business! ;) I promised an update for Christmas Eve, so here ya go! Early Christmas present! ;) Thank you for all the support and love you've given on this story! All the reviews/favorites/alerts are highly appreciated!**

**Now, I hope you enjoy this one! ;)**

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><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 4**

Beth laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling in her room. It was still early since the sun hadn't even properly gone up yet and she suspected that she and Morgan might be the only people awake in the house.

She didn't know the people who had come into their home last night, which meant that she didn't know their sleeping patterns. They had clearly been on the road for far too long and Beth had to rethink her previous suspicion, since she realized that they were probably less used to sleeping in than she and Morgan were.

Despite the safety they had in the farmhouse, she and Morgan had always made a point of waking up earlier, checking the perimeters together, ensuring that the fences had held during the night. On rare occasions, Beth woke up before Morgan did and checked the barriers herself before returning to heat up some soup for the older man. Now, she didn't know what to expect when she went downstairs.

Would it be her and Morgan alone in the early mornings, or would the newcomers have already invaded their daily routine and added their own to it?

Beth didn't know what to think, so she just laid there, on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

After about ten minutes of staring, she got inpatient and finally stood up. Quickly, she pulled out her jeans from her drawer, checking the small tear that she had on her right knee. It was fringing, but it wasn't too bad yet. It was warm outside which meant she could still use them and once winter came around, she could sew them up or just use the ones she had used last winter, if they still fit her.

She had been loosing weight over the summer, due to sweating and running around in the woods; exploring and hunting with Morgan. The man wasn't a natural like she apparently was, but he knew enough to survive. At other times, he taught her how to fight properly and how to win and Beth did her best to regain physical wellness and become even stronger than Morgan believed she was.

The scars were still there though; on her face, under her chin, on her wrist. The physical evidence of what she had been through at some point in her life, but that she couldn't remember at all. When she had showed Morgan the cut on her wrist, he had told her about his wife and son; the people he had loved the most and failed to protect. He told her about a man named Rick Grimes, that he had acted like a crazy man toward and the regret he felt about not going with him instantly.

Morgan had told her that they were going to look for Rick and his family and join up with them, wherever they were. He had said that their chance for survival would become much bigger if they found the Grimes family, since Morgan had seen that they were survivors.

When Beth had agreed to accompany Morgan, she never would have believed that she had once belonged to Rick Grimes' group. For Morgan to randomly come across them and convince them to come with him had been such a small probability, and yet, they were now under the same roof as her.

Beth swallowed down the lump in her throat as she finally pulled on her jeans and grabbed her short-sleeved black t-shirt which she put on over the light pink tank top she had worn the night before. Folding her pajamas, she put them underneath her pillow and made her bed before untangling her unruly curls, pulling them up in a high ponytail.

She looked herself in the mirror and nodded lightly, grabbing her toothbrush and the paste that she had insisted Morgan bring back several packs of during one of his latest runs. Hesitating only for a moment, she put her hand on the door handle, thinking about who she might risk running into in the hallway.

It wasn't that she wasn't partially excited to meet the people she had once known, it really wasn't. Her only doubt laid in disappointing them for being different than what they remembered. She knew that she would never be the person she had once been and it horrified her that they- _her family_, wouldn't accept her.

Gathering the courage she had, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The first thing that she noticed, was a post-it on the door opposite hers; the small room that she had shown Carl last night had apparently been claimed by someone named Daryl. She remained there, staring at the scribble before blinking a few times, pursing her lips together. Turning, she looked at her own door and found that that one too had a sticker on it with her name written there.

It would make sense for them all to do something like that, until they all got used to the house and learned which door lead to which room. Shaking her head, Beth walked down the hall toward the bathroom, reading every post-it on every door that she passed. She almost came to a stop again outside of the room that now apparently belonged to Maggie and someone called Glenn. It was probably not a wild guess, but she assumed that Glenn was the Asian, who was also Maggie's husband, and if Maggie really was her sister, then Glenn was also her brother-in-law.

She pushed the door to the bathroom open and quickly stepped inside, happy that she hadn't been forced to talk to anyone this early. Her voice was usually well-rested in the morning and most days, Beth would enjoy being quiet while Morgan did all the talking and she listened. She liked saving her voice for when it was really needed and the mornings were the only times that her throat didn't feel sore.

After she finished in the bathroom, she returned her toothbrush to her room and then headed downstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. She needed to talk to Morgan and ask him what he had planned for the day and also, she needed to know what they would be doing with all these people that were now with them.

When she arrived in the living room, where Morgan usually slept on the couch, she was surprised to see Rick and Morgan standing by the window, discussing something while Rick held little Judith in his hands, bouncing her every now and then, making the baby laugh.

"I talked to Daryl before he left," Rick told Morgan. "He'll have no problem huntin' after we start building a stronger fence. We're not lazy, Morgan. We're used to hard work."

"You're probably the only people I'd ever open this house to, Rick," Morgan replied. "I don't worry about you not pulling your weight, but I do worry about how this'll effect the lil' Lady upstairs."

Beth took a few steps up the stairs again and then descended, making sure that her footsteps would be heard as she practically stomped down. Both men looked up at her as she stepped out in front of them, wringing her hands together as she looked from one to the other.

"Good mornin'," she said, nodding curtly at Rick, who looked a little dazed. It was clear that he still hadn't gotten used to seeing her alive, but she couldn't exactly blame him since it had only been one night since he had first seen her.

"Mornin' Beth," Rick nodded back, shifting Judith in his arms, holding the baby against his shoulder. "How are you?"

"Good," Beth replied, feeling a little awkward. "Did you guys sleep well?" She might as well be polite since they'd be staying there with her and Morgan from now on.

"Well enough," Rick said. "Judy here was a little fussy, but we handled it. Thank you for putting that crib up for her."

"It's nothin'," Beth said quickly. "I'm glad I could help."

Rick nodded thoughtfully, his eyes looking her over as if to yet again make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

"Were you guys discussin' somethin' before I got here?" Beth questioned, walking a little closer to them, but toward Morgan, since she actually knew him.

"Rick here was just telling me that he sent some of his people out on a quick run," Morgan explained. "They want to build a stronger fence against the walkers."

"We've been here for months and the fences have held," Beth frowned. "Do you think somethin' will happen?"

Rick watched her again before looking out the window briefly and then back at her, "Can't do us any bad to just make the barriers between us and _them_ a little stronger, can it?"

Beth looked at the baby in the man's hands and thought about the young boy, whose hand she had held onto last night as she had led him upstairs while he had silently cried. Two children that needed protecting and a big group, who had been on the road for too long, watching their back with every step they took.

"I suppose not," Beth agreed, her eyes not wavering from the little girl who was laughing in her father's arms. She remembered the birthday party she had promised Carl and she silently swore to herself that she would find the things she needed to make it happen, whenever they decided that it was Judith's birthday. "I'll help you if you need it," she told Rick, still referring to the fences.

"Michonne and Daryl went out with Abraham, Rosita, Sasha and Tyreese to look for any kind of wood that can be used to build the walls," Rick explained and Beth couldn't help but give him a look. The man seemed to catch his own mistake and Beth watched as the corner of his mouth twitched, almost bitterly. "Right, ya don't know them," he said, mostly reminding himself.

"I know who Michonne is, at least," Beth shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it even though she felt sick to her stomach knowing that she should recognize the names.

"Don't," Rick said quickly. For a moment Beth wondered what he was saying, but then he continued, "You have nothin' to feel bad for."

She took a small breath and stared at the man, who had been able to read her face. It proved to her that he had indeed once known her and if he could still recognize her tells, maybe there was still hope for her being the person she had once been; the Beth they had known and maybe even loved.

"You never officially met Abraham's group," Rick explained, "so there's nothin' for ya to remember there. Sasha and Tyreese were with us before... They're siblings. You'll get to know them again, when you feel like it." He gave her a pointed look, "No one here is going to pressure you into anythin', Beth. You take your time and deal with this however you want to, and we'll respect your choices."

Beth could only nod and smile lightly at the man, who had lifted at least one of the weights that she had had on her shoulders since she had woken up. "Thank you, Rick," she said, smiling warmly at him before turning to Morgan, raising an eyebrow at him.

He immediately understood her silent question and nodded at the door, "The rest of them are already outside. The only one still asleep is Rick's boy, Carl. The poor kid was exhausted."

"Not that it would have stopped him," Rick informed them. "I had to threaten to tie him to the bed so that he wouldn't run out. Told him he needed to rest up and he disagreed, right up until he fell asleep again, which was a second after I pushed him down on the bed again."

Rick had spoken with such seriousness and the image that he painted in Beth's mind brought out a giggle from her. The man looked down at her and she blushed, but when she saw that Rick too was smiling, it felt a little easier again.

Rick and Michonne were clearly not bad people. Judith was a baby and Carl was just a kid, so she wasn't expecting it to be difficult to get along with them either. Still, the rest of the group remained and Beth wasn't sure how they would act toward her. When she thought about it, she recalled the older woman who had peppered her face with kisses and sobbed against her when she had recognized her but it didn't take long until her mind drifted to the man who had been leaning against the wall, a crossbow near him.

The nagging feeling that she should know him was even more prominent than it was with the other newcomers, and Beth honestly didn't know what to think about that. The rugged man had barely been able to meet her eyes, but when she had passed him on her way to the kitchen, he had looked up at her and his intense blue eyes had bored into hers, almost taking her breath away.

The pain she had seen there had been mixed with confusion and anger. There had been a storm raging inside of his eyes and she had wondered if the man was as explosive as he seemed to be.

But she would not be judging anyone until she personally talked to them. She had originally been a little frightened of Rick and so far, he had proven himself to be harmless to her.

Finally, Beth decided to excuse herself and walk outside, into the sun. She needed the fresh air and she wanted to meet the others so that she could slowly start getting to know them again.

Though, it didn't remove the fear she felt about her being rejected, now that she had changed.

-§-

Daryl pulled the planks into Morgan's pickup that they had borrowed for the run while Michonne put the bags with the tools and the nails in the back seat of Tyreese's jeep.

They had found a hardwood store a couple of miles from the farmhouse, in a small, almost completely abandoned town. There had been a couple of walkers there, but due to the clear lack of food, the other dead ones had most likely wandered off to a new destination.

_Like damn animals,_ Daryl thought bitterly to himself as he pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips, not lighting it just yet. He continued helping Abraham and Tyreese lift the planks onto the pickup and load some of them to the roof of the jeep while Rosita and Sasha kept watch; sniper rifles with silencers in their hands.

"Lookin' good, ladies," Abraham casually commented, sending a wink Rosita's way as he did. The younger woman flipped him off before turning her back on him, continuing her watch while Sasha snickered next to her.

It was good to see Sasha smile again. Daryl might not have been the closest to her when they had been in the prison, but the woman had been a part of the council and he had high respect for her strength. After Bob's death, quickly followed by Beth's, she had lost her way a bit, not much unlike Daryl. She had begun pulling away from the group until finally a scare with Tyreese had led to her getting her grip together. It was clear that she didn't want to lose her brother at any cost and when that damn walker had been close to biting him because he had been watching her back instead of his own, she had put herself together once again.

"How long do ya think we'll stay at the farmhouse?" Abraham asked, turning to Daryl, who leaned against the pickup as he finally lit his cigarette.

He took a long drag of it before answering, "As long 's Beth stays there." It was his guess, but also his own decision. There was no way that he would be leaving the girl behind now that they'd gotten her back. Maggie had been right the night before and it seemed like everyone else in their group agreed to it. Yet, Daryl understood Abraham's doubts, but since Washington was a no-go, they might as well stay where they were, since it seemed to be safe enough.

"At least it's safer than travelin' on the roads," Abraham shrugged. "Ya got one for me?" he wondered, nodding toward Daryl's cigarette.

"No," Daryl smirked, flicking some ash on the ground.

"Come on ya dirty old redneck," Abraham chuckled. "Let's celebrate that ya got ya girl back."

His choice of words made Daryl freeze, the cigarette hanging loosely from his fingertips. He glanced over at Sasha and Rosita, wondering whether they had heard what Abraham had said and then tried to pinpoint where Michonne had gone to. No one other than him seemed to have heard the other man's words and he shot said man a glare before putting the cigarette back in his mouth.

"Beth ain't my girl," Daryl told him sternly and he was surprised to see Abraham's eyebrow quirk up.

"I didn' say that," the older man clarified. "I mean that she's ya group's girl."

Daryl felt his face heat up a little at his own mistake, but Abraham didn't seem to want to say anything about his mishap. Instead of saying anything stupid again, Daryl dug his cigarette pack out of his back pocket and offered one to Abraham, who gratefully took it from him.

They stood there and smoked in silence for a bit before Abraham decided to keep working. He hollered at Rosita to come with him and the girl rolled her eyes before telling him to keep his voice down, just before they entered the store again.

"I'll take a small look around the back," Sasha told him and he nodded at her. "You coming with me, Ty?" she asked her brother, who instantly dropped the boards he had been securing.

"Don' take too long," Daryl told them, "We need to be headin' back 'fore nightfall."

Sasha gave him an affirmative nod and he watched silently as the siblings walked off. Dropping the cigarette to the ground, he stomped it out before walking over to the jeep to finish what Tyreese had started.

"So?" Michonne said, suddenly next to him. He wanted to yell at her for being sneaky again, but this time, he had actually been paying attention to his surroundings, so he had no problem in identifying her footsteps as she had approached him.

"What?" he grunted, lifting the planks onto the jeep, tying them with the rope they had found inside.

"What are we going to do with Beth?" Michonne clarified, standing next to him so that he was forced to look at her.

"There ain't nothin' we can do," he told her, the bitterness seeping into his tone again.

Michonne narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, "Do I need to remind you that I was there when you carried Beth out of that hospital?" Daryl only stared at her before reaching into his back pocket again to pull out another cigarette. He needed it to calm his nerves if they were going to have this conversation. "I watched you, Daryl," Michonne told him. "I saw the way you held her body to your chest, refusing to let her go as we drove to get her body out of that retched city."

"Well, I clearly didn' hold 'er tight enough, 'cause I sure as hell didn' feel her heartbeat," Daryl pointed out, dragging the smoke in from the cigarette.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Michonne said. "We all thought she was dead."

"I shoulda know better," he told the woman. "Beth's a fighter. 'Course she woulda survived a goddamn gunshot wound to the head."

Michonne only shook her head at him. "My point still stands," she repeated. "I saw the way you were after her and I'm calling it now, saying that you won't be able to stay away from her."

Deep down, he knew that Michonne was right, but he would never admit it to her or to anyone else. He had already felt the urge to step inside Beth's room the night before, if only to see her breathing one more time before he went to bed, and this morning, he had found himself sitting on the floor in the hallway, his back against his own door as he read her name over and over again on the post-it that was stuck on the white frame.

"I'm not goin' near her," Daryl tried again. "The girl's been through enough. I ain't gonna force her to get to know me 'til she's ready to start acceptin' us into her life again."

"Doubt it," Michonne said, a teasing tone in her voice. "After all, she already has you marked," she added, giving him a pointed look.

"What're ya goin' on about now?" he asked, looking at her questioningly. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he watched Michonne's eyes travel to _that place_, right beneath his collarbone, a little over his heart.

"I haven't told anyone about it, if that's what you're really asking," Michonne said. "The two of us are the only that know your little secret Dixon and it should probably stay that way. For now at least."

Daryl's hand moved off its own accord, touching the place that Michonne's eyes had been trained at earlier. "You don' know what you're talkin' 'bout," he mumbled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not judging you," Michonne told him sternly. "I'm just sayin' that I'd understand if you wouldn't be able to keep yourself from wanting to check on her. That doesn't mean that you won't respect her wishes, just that it'll eat you up from the inside to keep her out of arms reach."

Daryl eyed her before shooting her a glare, knowing that there was no way of convincing the woman that her suspicions about him weren't true. "You're too damn observant for your own good," he muttered before throwing his cigarette on the ground, covering it with his boot.

-§-

Usually when Beth walked outside in the morning, she would enjoy herself by breathing in the quiet morning air as she walked around the a couple of times, making sure that the barbed wire was intact and the make-shift fence Morgan had built hadn't crumbled. She'd enjoy the silence and allow herself to think back, try to clear her head and maybe remember something from her past, even though it normally didn't do her any good, since it all seemed to have been erased.

Sometimes though, she got the strangest flash of something; usually a shadow that she could never see the face of, who spoke to her, voice disoriented, no matter how hard she tried to focus on hearing it clearer. After that a deep frustration usually set in and Morgan always noticed the change in her, so he kept quiet and let her get herself together for a few hours until she was ready to speak with him. She never told him much about what she saw in the small flashes that returned to her because she could never really be too sure that they had actually occurred. Her memories, no matter how brief, were her own and Morgan respected that enough not to ask her about it. He knew that she was hurting over not remembering her old life; that she was mourning the loss of the people she would never remember knowing or caring about, and that was enough for him to give her space whenever he saw that she was deep in thoughts.

This morning though, was _very _different.

Beth stepped outside of the house, only to be greeted by the sight of the newcomers checking the barriers that she had been about to check. They were talking about improvements; a man with a mullet telling a girl about how they could build walls more effectively and organize their runs more properly. They didn't seem to see her for a moment, but finally, the Asian man, Glenn, looked up from where he was standing next to his wife and stared at her.

The others seemed to notice that his attention had drifted elsewhere and they also turned around to look at her. Beth swallowed thickly when she met her sister's eyes and she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

Maggie began walking toward her, Glenn instantly falling into step behind her while the others stayed back, probably deciding that it was better to give them some privacy. Beth felt as if the walls were closing in on her as Maggie came closer and closer and panic instantly began bubbling inside of her.

What was she going to say?

What was she going to do?

She could only stare at the woman who was apparently her sister as the brunette came to a halt just a couple of feet away from her. Beth stared at her, blinking a few times before glancing at Glenn, who seemed equally confused as to what they should do.

"Maggie," Beth finally said, clearing her throat. It was when Maggie's eyes lit up with hope that Beth realized her mistake of addressing the woman with her first name. Maggie had no idea that Michonne had told her her name and she had probably misunderstood Beth's knowledge of her name as Beth remembering her. "Michonne told me your name last night," Beth clarified, feeling horrible when she saw the flicker of hope diminish. "You must be Glenn," Beth continued, holding her hand out to the man, who glanced at Maggie before taking it and shaking it lightly.

"Did you sleep well?" Beth wondered, sensing that neither her sister nor her brother-in-law were going to say anything.

"Yeah," Maggie finally drawled, still looking at her with something that looked like a mix of both hurt and awe. "You?"

"Yeah," Beth echoed, not being able to look away from her sister. She tried to see anything that resembled her in her sister's face, but there weren't many similarities there.

"What else did Michonne tell you?" Maggie finally asked, after a long moment of silence.

"Not much," Beth admitted. "She thought it would be better if I tried remembering you all by myself. I asked her about you though and she told me you're my sister."

Maggie's eyes seemed to water and the woman clenched her jaw, nodding a little. Beth watched her silently, wondering what else she could say. If Michonne had mentioned Maggie being her sister, she most likely would have told her if she had had other relatives. Since she didn't, Beth assumed that Maggie was the only one that was alive and deep down, Beth wanted to know what had happened to the others.

But perhaps another time.

"Well," Beth finally said, looking down at the ground, "I need to go look for some clothes that Morgan and I put away in the closet."

Maggie only nodded and Beth could literally feel how the awkwardness and the tension of the situation only rose. She felt suffocated again and she needed to get out of there.

"I'll see you later then," Beth mumbled, turning her back to her sister and walked straight into the house again, closing the door firmly. She looked out through the small window and saw how Maggie had slung her arms around Glenn and how the man was trying to comfort his wife the best he could, but it was clear that nothing would ease Maggie's heartache.

It made Beth wonder if she herself had ever had anyone who had looked after her the way that Glenn was looking after Maggie and once again, it cut her deep knowing that she would probably never remember.

-§-

Beth was going through the clothes in the bags when she heard someone approach her from behind. She turned around and saw the woman who had been talking to the man with the mullet peering down at her curiously, "What are you doing?"

The woman was around Maggie's age, probably, and Beth shrugged, continuing to fold the sweaters that had been too big for her, but would probably fit the other woman who had joined the household. "I'm takin' out the clothes we put away when we cleaned this place up," Beth explained. "Winter will be comin' 'round soon enough and you lot might need the extra layers."

"That's kind of you," the woman said. "Would you like some help folding?"

Beth hesitated before she finally nodded and scooted over a bit as the woman sat down on the floor next to her.

"I'm sorry I don't know your name," Beth said after a minute of silence.

"Tara," the woman introduced herself. "Don't worry about it though. The two of us never officially met. I was new to the group and when I finally got the chance to meet you, you were already..."

"Dead?" Beth suggested, looking up at Tara with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah," Tara drawled, but continued folding the long sleeved shirts without looking at Beth. "For what it's worth, it was pretty obvious that your family cared a great deal about you. They still do."

"I guess," Beth shrugged, "but that doesn't mean that I haven't spent the last seven months wondering how much they cared if they didn't even notice I was alive before they buried me."

Her bluntness seemed to take Tara aback, but she didn't stay anything on the matter. Beth decided that so far, she actually liked this woman. She was kind enough to try to talk to her, despite not knowing her, and had even tried to reassure Beth of her family's love for her. Even when Beth had turned the conversation around and made it sour, the woman had had the decency not to say anything else on the matter.

By saying those words to Tara, Beth had made it clear that she would need time to work things out and she was glad that Tara understood enough to give her space.

A couple of hours later, Beth was still folding clothes with Tara and the two of them had fallen into an easy conversation about everything and anything that wasn't related in any way to Beth's past that she had no memories of.

"I swear, my dad was more nervous about meeting my first real girlfriend than she was about meeting him," Tara grinned, putting a pair of jeans aside for herself. She had joked with Beth about having first pick since she was helping her clean out the closet and Beth had agreed to let her choose whatever she wanted. Tara had then started telling her stories from her own past, from before the turn, and Beth had found herself laughing and giggling over the silliest things.

It felt nice to have someone new to talk to; it was refreshing.

And it all seemed to be going well until the door opened and the people who had been on the run returned home.

Beth had been mid-laugh when the door had opened, and she had turned around, smile still on her face as her eyes had met with the man who had frozen in the doorway. Her breath hitched and her smile fell as his blue eyes flashed with something she couldn't remember ever seeing in anyone's eyes before she had met him and for a mere second, she wanted to reach out for him with her hand.

However, the man seemed to be shaken out of his daze when a much taller and much louder man told him to get out of the way. Beth couldn't help but notice the slightly red tint that covered the man's cheeks when he finally moved away and she felt her own face heat up when he walked right past her and Tara, without saying another word.

"Don't worry about him," Tara spoke, shaking Beth out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Daryl is just gonna need some time to adjust to having you alive again."

"_Daryl_," Beth repeated his name, trying it out as she willed her brain to try and remember him. It wasn't a surprise when she didn't find any memory whatsoever of him and she turned to look at Tara again. "I think everyone is gonna need some time," she told the other woman, who could only nod her head in agreement.

-§-

Daryl had never felt more awkward in his entire life than he had felt when Carol had announced that they would all be eating together that evening.

She and Maggie had apparently worked together with Glenn to find a table that would be big enough to set in the living room and they had all worked together to make some homemade meals for them all to share when dinner came around. They had set the plates and everything, but all Daryl wanted was to get the hell out of the room, because he felt as if her couldn't breathe.

When the announcement had been made about dinner, Daryl had been outside, working on unloading the wooden boards that they had acquired on their run and if that hadn't been awkward enough, Beth had just walked out on the porch together with Morgan and her eyes had been set on him the instant Carol had spoken.

Since he had walked into the farmhouse when he had gotten back, he had tried his best to avoid Beth. The brief encounter when he had entered the house after getting back had clearly made her uncomfortable and that was the least of what he wanted to make her feel. It was just that when he had walked in, and seen the bright smile on her face and heard the giggles escaping her, his mind had gone back to their time in the funeral home, where he had been the one to make her laugh.

The memories had flooded him so suddenly, because since her death he had tried his best not to think of them, and he had frozen in the doorway, blocking the way of Abraham and everyone else. When Abraham had finally lost his temper and pushed him forward, Daryl had snapped out of the daze and embarrassment had flooded through him.

From that moment, he had made sure to not step into the same room as Beth, avoiding her as if she was some disease that he didn't want to catch.

And now, he was sitting at the same table as her, eating dinner; as if it was the most normal of occurrences in the world.

She was sitting with Morgan on one side of her and Carl on the other, but she wasn't looking at any of them as she picked at her food with her fork. Daryl himself was sitting securely on the other end of the table, as far away from her as possible. If he had been allowed a choice (which accordingly to Carol he didn't) he wouldn't be sitting there at all. Instead, he would probably be laying in his room, or sleeping in a tent outside, just so that he wouldn't be near the blonde that had consumed his entire mind since she had turned out to be alive.

He understood that Beth was uncomfortable. Especially considering that Maggie was sitting down in front of her, staring at her all the time, while no one spoke a single word as they ate.

After a couple of minutes of silence, apart from Judith's gurgling as Rick fed her, Carol finally broke it, "Have you made up a plan on the fence building?"

"Yeah," Abraham said, glancing around the table, "we'll start buildin' it tomorrow."

"Maybe we can dig some pits by the forest?" Tyreese suggested. "If any stray walkers pass, they'll fall in before they even start making their way to the fence."

"Makes sense," Sasha immediately agreed. "It'll work as a first defense."

"Mhm..." Rick agreed, not looking up from where he was feeding Judith with a spoon of mashed potatoes that they had made from the potato powder Beth had shown Carl when the boy had told her that he wasn't sure Judith would like rabbit stew.

"I can draw some blueprints for the fence," Eugene said. Daryl rolled his eyes and Michonne must have noticed, because she elbowed him in his side, covering a snicker with a cough.

Ever since Eugene had turned out to be a liar and Abraham had beat him half to death, the fake scientist had tried to help out as much as he could by being the one to organize their works and runs. He never went on them himself, but neither of them could deny that the man was smart, whether he was a scientist or not. He had a knack for drawing blueprints and making suggestions on how to do some vital things, like filter water and such, so in the end, he actually proved to be useful, even if they had forced him to pull his weight by rationing their food and keeping his eyes on the map that they used to pinpoint where they were.

Still, once a liar, forever a liar, so Daryl had tasked Noah with keeping an eye on him and to report back to him if he ever did anything suspicious. So far, Noah hadn't noticed Eugene doing anything strange, and since seven months had passed since he had given the task, Daryl had accepted that maybe the man really was being honest. It didn't hurt to keep him under watch though.

When Daryl focused in on the conversation again, it had apparently already ended and silence had filled the room again.

"What were you up to these seven months, Beth?"

Maggie's question hung in the air and Daryl snapped his eyes toward the brunette. She was watching her younger sister expectantly and when Daryl turned his attention to the younger Greene sister, he noticed that the girl had frozen in her seat, not looking up at Maggie or anyone else in the room.

She was breathing through her nose, taking deep breaths as if she was trying to calm herself, and Daryl noticed how Morgan put his fork on the table before his hand disappeared under it, clearly taking the hand Beth was resting on her lap in his. The older man was looking at the girl with something that Daryl had only seen in Hershel's eyes: fatherly concern.

Daryl remembered what Morgan had told him and Rick about Beth having memory flashes and not talking about them. How she would sometimes daze off and then come back as if nothing was wrong, but still talk as if something inside of her had changed.

When Beth finally looked up at Maggie, it was the first time that night that Daryl had really taken time to look at the young girl. There was a frown etched on her face as she stared her older sister down and evident anger and confusion in her eyes.

"I was recovering from a gunshot, where the bullet passed through my head from under my chin," Beth bluntly replied. Daryl watched as Maggie leaned back a little in her chair, obviously not expecting that kind of answer. "I was trying to remember my own name for over three months and tried to remember the people I might have known before I was presumed dead and _buried __alive_."

"Lady," Morgan said, in an almost warning tone next to her, and Beth snapped her head in his direction, standing up from her seat. There was a mix of emotions playing on her face, only some of which that Daryl recognized. He had seen that broken look when they had been at the country club where she had finally gotten her hands on a bottle of Peach Schnapps; when she had fulfilled one mission only to see that it had been for nothing, because her father was still dead and her sister and the rest of their family was missing too.

"Excuse me," Beth bit out as she walked off and hurried to the stairs, practically running up the stairs and away from them all. They heard a door slam shut loudly and then, absolute silence.

Maggie covered her face with her hands and put her elbows on the table, clearly upset by what had just transpired between her and her sister. "I should have just kept my mouth shut," she cried into her hands.

"It's alright," Morgan tried to assure her. "The lil' Lady is just used to it just being the two of us. She's just gonna need some time before she starts opening up about what she's been through since she woke up."

"We buried her alive," Maggie said, looking up at the man. Glenn rubbed his hand on Maggie's back and looked around the table helplessly. "We _buried _her, Morgan. How is she ever gonna forgive us for that? I can't imagine what she must've felt like when she woke up."

"She just needs _time_," Morgan insisted again. "She might be different from what you remember, I can't say since I didn't know her back then, but remember that she's still Beth. Deep inside, she's still your sister, but you gotta see that this is just as difficult for her as it is for you."

"Morgan is right," Carol said. "I watched her today. She was uncomfortable with us, but I think it's mostly because she doesn't know how to act around us."

"I spent hours folding clothes with her," Tara piped up, raising her hand to get their attention. "She was perfectly fine then, but it probably has to do with her knowing that she didn't know me before. It was like she was trying to get to know me for the first time, and she was very nice."

"Beth is nice," Carl pointed out. "I don't think she's that much different. I mean, sure, she doesn't remember us, but she was nice to me and Michonne last night, right Mich?"

The woman nodded, "I told you yesterday what I thought." She gave Rick and Daryl a pointed look and Rick shifted Judith in his lap before he looked over at Maggie.

"We need to stop pressuring her," he told her. "She'll come to us when she's ready and 'til then, I suggest none of us bring up what she's been up to these past seven months."

Everyone around the table nodded their agreement, Daryl included, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone needed to go and check on the blonde upstairs.

As if he had read his mind, Morgan stood up from his seat, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "I'll check on the lil' Lady and talk to her. I'll try to convince her to be a little more open to you guys, since I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her on purpose."

Next to Daryl, Rick gave the a curt nod and they watched as Morgan walked off, up the stairs where Beth had gone.

"Well," Carol said after a while, standing up with her plate in her hands, "I think we're all just about done eating."

Daryl couldn't agree more.

-§-

Beth didn't know what had come over her during dinner; all she had known was that she needed to get away from them all.

The entire day she had been able to feel her sister's eyes on her. Maggie seemed to always be watching her from a distance along with the woman who had embraced her the previous night when they had been reunited. Nevertheless, Beth had tried her best to ignore them and keep doing what she had to do.

Tara had tried to teach her the names of everyone while they had folded the clothes they had found in the closet, but to be honest, none of the names rang a bell for Beth. Still, she figured that she needed to keep giving herself time, but that wouldn't exactly be happening if Maggie and everyone else continued to ask questions that only brought back painful memories.

"Lil' Lady?" Morgan called out from the other side of her door, knocking softly. "Can we talk?"

"I'm done talkin' for tonight, Morgan," Beth told him, but the man opened the door anyway. She rolled her eyes and pushed herself back a little on her bed; her legs up close to her body as she hugged them and rested her chin on her knees.

What she had said was true. She didn't want to talk about anything, especially not the newcomers, but deep down, she knew that her internal issues with having them around needed to be dealt with. They had only been there for a day, and she hadn't exactly given herself any time to actually get to know them all. So far she had only had a normal conversation with Tara, Michonne and Carl, but those encounters had all been brief. She didn't know the others and even though they were supposed to be family, Beth couldn't help the small drop of bitterness that had weaved its way into her heart when Maggie had asked her what she had been up to these seven months that she had been awake.

"Beth," Morgan began softly, sitting down on the bed where she had made room for him. "You can't be like that toward them. I understand that it must be difficult for you, but you gotta see that Rick's gang are good people and it would be better for us to have them here."

"There aren't any good people left in the world," Beth argued, narrowing her eyes at him. She didn't want to believe what she was saying, but her hatred for the situation made her speak like that. "The good people are all gone, Morgan."

"You don't believe that," he told her sternly, putting his hand on her arm. "I know you, lil' Lady, and you haven't for one second thought such a silly thing."

Beth desperately wanted to yell at him; to throw a fit in rage and confusion, but she knew that Morgan knew her better than anyone else. The newcomers didn't know the person she was now; they only knew the memory of the old girl they had once known. Beth didn't know if there was still a part of her that resembled that one, which only made it more difficult for her to accept the way things around the farm would change now.

"I was outta line talkin' to my sister like that, wasn't I?" Beth whispered. She didn't look at Morgan when she felt tears stinging in her eyes.

If there was one thing Beth was certain of, it was the fact that she absolutely _detested_ crying.

It had happened a few times since she had woken up, and the first time, it had been when Morgan had been there. He had been a bit awkward about it because they had only been with each other for a month and Beth's cries had sounded more like choked gasps, but there had been no mistaking the tears streaming down her face.

Since that time, she only cried when she was alone and Morgan was on a run, although it made her feel weak, which was why she hated it so much. If Morgan ever heard her crying out in the garden, he certainly never spoke about it, mostly because he seemed to understand enough to know that she didn't want him to say anything, or give her comfort.

"A little," Morgan agreed, "but I know it's not easy for you."

Beth shook her head and brushed her cheeks, "It's just so _frustrating, _Morgan. I'm supposed to know these people and yet I don't remember a single thing about them!"

"I know, I know," Morgan said, lightly brushing her arm. "I know you want to remember, but you just gotta have a little faith and it'll all work out in the end."

"Have a little faith?" Beth scoffed. "It hasn't done me any good so far if my family thought I was dead and buried me alive." Somewhere in the back of her head another conversation started playing, but the voices were yet again muffled. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, but finally ended up just shaking her head, knowing that it was of no use.

"How could they not know that I was still alive?" she asked. "How is it possible to have mistaken me for being dead? They _buried_ me, Morgan! What does _that_ say about my strength?"

"Don't talk like that, Beth," Morgan berated her. "If there's one thing I know for sure in this world, that's that you're one hell of a survivor."

"That doesn't change what happened," Beth insisted quietly, feeling her chest tighten.

It pained her to know that the people she had once loved had buried her alive, thinking that she was dead. Sure, from what Morgan could tell, she had been shot through the head, and the survival rate for that probably wasn't very high even under normal circumstances.

It didn't change the fact that she _had _survived though. She was still alive and fighting every day to stay alive. Those months that Maggie had asked about had been painful in every way, except for a moment or two of happiness along the road of recovery. The farmhouse they were staying in now was the first place that Beth had finally felt at peace in, which had been one of the reasons that she wanted to stick around.

"I know you're still struggling," Morgan sighed, "and it'll take some time until you recover fully. You went through some traumatic stuff and I know it sounds like I'm repeating myself all the time, but you gotta give yourself time to heal." He brushed a stray lock of blonde hair from her face and smiled softly at her. "You need to keep an open mind when it comes to your family. I know they seem scary, but you've only just met them. Being a part of a larger group increases our chances of survival," he tried to explain.

"It also increases the risk of losing people," Beth retorted. "Every single time they'll go on a run, they're gonna risk the farm if walkers follow them. Even if I don't remember them, I don't think I could handle losing them."

Her admission made Morgan's eyes soften and she turned to face the window, looking out at the night sky.

"That only proves that you care, Beth," Morgan said. "You care about them."

Beth continued to look out the window, her gaze moving to the ground below. She saw the way the light from the candles in the hallway lit up the outside just a little as the door opened. Next, she watched curiously as someone walked outside and stood on the grass, lighting a cigarette in the dark.

The small glow from the lighter illuminated the man's face just long enough for Beth to see his face and recognize it. She watched the man who Tara had told her was called Daryl as he smoked his cigarette in the dark and she couldn't help but wonder.

Not necessarily and specifically about _him_ but rather about all the newcomers. It just suddenly hit her that Daryl was so far the only one who she had had eye-contact with that hadn't tried to approach her. The small moment downstairs in the hallway where he had just frozen on spot when seeing her and the way her eyes had drifted to connect with his when she had passed him the night before on the way to the kitchen, made her stomach turn in a funny way that she hadn't felt since she had woken up.

She just couldn't shake the feeling she had about him and to be honest, it was a little embarrassing. It also made her curious to know if the two of them had been friends before everything had happened but Daryl seemed to be more withdrawn than the rest of the group, so she couldn't just walk up to him and ask, could she?

Maybe she could?

Beth watched as Daryl threw the cigarette on the ground, lighting another one immediately. He seemed to be agitated and maybe even a little nervous, considering how he kept taking a step back and forth from the house. It almost looked like he wanted to run away from there.

She watched him as he finally stopped moving, flicking the ash off of his cigarette, taking another deep drag and blowing the smoke out. There was something about him that was...almost mesmerizing.

Beth turned around to look at Morgan who hadn't said a word. Maybe he was right? Maybe she did care about them deep down, which was the reason that she wanted to push them away? What if her subconscious was telling her that it would just end badly for them and that it was better to not get attached?

Morgan met her gaze and waited for her to say something. She could tell that his eyes were searching hers for confirmation that she wouldn't just give up on everything now; not when she had fought so hard for seven months to regain her memories.

Not when she finally might have a chance to get them back.

"Okay."

Her voice had been so low when she had finally spoken, but it seemed to startle Morgan just the same.

"Okay?" he inquired, raising his eyebrow at her.

"I'll keep an open mind," she told him. "I'll try to get to know them, but I'm not ready to tell them about..._everything_." She swallowed thickly and Morgan nodded, understanding perfectly well what it was that she meant.

"It's gonna be alright, lil' Lady," Morgan said, moving closer so that he could embrace her. She held him back just as tightly, her eyes traveling to the window again. Over Morgan's shoulder, she looked down at the front lawn, but Daryl was nowhere to be seen.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She would be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Okay, I just want to mention that as you all know, this is mainly a Bethyl story, but I'm a sucker for slow burn so the two of them won't actually interact one-on-one until chapter 7! I hope that's okay with you, but until then, there will be more awkward "half meetings" as I like to call them and the two of them will be watching each other from afar! ;)<strong>

**Also, this story's plot is based on Beth's recovery and how she'll slowly remember things. I'm not entirely sure that she'll remember everything in the end of it, but there will be some memories coming back. I will be having small "confrontations" in the future with other characters and probably a walker attack of two, but they WILL be staying on this farm in this story, as far as I can tell now. There are a few chapters planned in another location, but it's all in that area, so I hope you guys are okay with that! :)**

**Once again, thank you for all the support and I'll try my best to write and update again before New Years, but I can't make any promises! I am continuing this story and right now, I have like 19 chapters planned, but more in my mind... This will be a long one, I think... Oh, and do tell me if you'd like me to kick the rating up a notch because there will be some swearing in here and maybe, just maybe, *clears throat* other situations... *wink wink***

**Thank you for reading and don't forget to comment! :) Happy Holidays to ya'll! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: Thank you so much for the wonderful response on this fic! :) **

**To the guest who reviewed and mentioned that I don't update very fast, I'm sorry about that, but writing takes time and I don't want it to seem very forced, but I'm doing my best! :)**

**Now, please enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 5**

"Pass me the hammer, will ya?" Abraham's voice rang out in the garden. Daryl rolled his eyes but lifted the second hammer out of the toolbox that Morgan had brought with him when he had joined them in the garden earlier that morning.

"Don't see why ya can't just get it ya'self," Daryl called out as he threw the hammer toward Abraham, low enough so that it wouldn't hit the man, who was prepared enough to catch it. "Ya lazy ass," he added under his breath.

"What did ya just call me?" Abraham laughed, but Daryl just shook his head as he continued to nail the new boards to the fence.

They had been working on making the fence around the farm land stronger for almost an entire week now. It was taking time since they needed to go on runs every other day to get more wooden boards and nails in order to cover all parts of the old fence, since they were trying to build something more similar to a wall to keep the walkers out.

Daryl had busied himself with working on the fence instead of actually going on the runs, since they knew that the small towns that were relatively close to the farmhouse were pretty much emptied of walkers who had moved on to other places.

It helped Daryl to work all day to the point of almost exhausting himself, since sleep came easier that way. Rick had set up a watch schedule for them and Daryl had so far only needed to keep watch a couple of hours around midnight, which meant that he had time to sleep a little beforehand.

From what he could tell, Morgan had been right about the farm. There hadn't been many walkers passing through during the week that had passed since they got there and it seemed like the amount of walkers in the area had decreased for some reason. Daryl still wasn't ready to let his guard down around the farm, so he always kept his crossbow close. He knew he wasn't the only one since everyone else also seemed to carry at least one weapon on their body, even when they were inside the fences. If they were going to stay on the farm, they might as well be ready at all times. They had learned from their mistake on the Greene Farm and no one wanted a repeat of that.

Daryl put two nails between his lips as he brought the hammer down on the one he was holding between his fingers. He pushed at the board to make sure that it was secured safely before waving at Noah to bring him another one.

The kid and Glenn were working hard on sawing through the larger boards in order to make them all the same size to build the wall properly and as soon as Daryl had given him his signal, the boy hurried over with one of them under his arm. Noah held it against the old fence as Daryl hammered in the first couple of nails that would keep the board in place.

"Thanks, kid," Daryl muttered. "Hand me some of those nails." He pointed at the box that was laying a couple of feet away from him and Noah quickly fetched them for him. For a moment, Daryl was so in sync with working on the fence that he completely forgot about everyone else that was outside.

Until, of course, he heard someone laugh, in a tone so light and genuine that it made him warm on the inside. Lifting his gaze from the wood in front of him, he spotted Beth talking to Tara about something with a huge smile on her face. Tara's hands were moving around animatedly and Beth continued to giggle at whatever it was that the other woman was saying. Finally, Beth said something to Tara, who nodded and squeezed Beth's shoulder, as the blonde retreated inside the farm house again.

Daryl watched intently as the door to the house closed and finally he released a low sigh, turning back to work on the fence.

A week had passed since they had been reunited with Beth and he had still not completely comprehended the fact that she was alive and with them again. He had gone out of his way to avoid her, all just so that he would keep her safe from himself. It wasn't that he would ever intentionally hurt Beth, but it still plagued him to know that he had been the reason that she had been lost in the first place. Over the seven months that he had been alone with his group, when they had thought that Beth was dead, he had done nothing but blame himself for the blonde's demise.

Every single time that he had thought about her, he had wondered what he could have done differently, so that they wouldn't have been separated. His memories of the funeral home had come to him when they had silently walked along the highway toward unknown destinations. He had wondered if there had been something he could have done differently. When those walkers had pushed their way through the door, all he had been able to think about was getting Beth out of there and he had told her to run and wait for him by the road. If she had stayed behind, she wouldn't have been able to fight because of her hurt ankle, but maybe he would have been able to keep her safe with him?

No, he had been outnumbered himself and it had been pure luck and a hell of a lot of adrenaline that had made him survive that night. If Beth had been there, they would surely both have ended up dead.

He thought about the last meal they had eaten together before she had been taken from him. The things he had been feeling that night; had he been imagining it all? Maybe it was wrong for him to think about such a young girl like that, but then again, he couldn't ignore the way that panic had crept up inside of him when she had asked him what had changed his mind about people.

His palms had gotten sweaty and his heart had beat a thousand times faster than it normally would. He had looked over at her and it had all made so much sense at the time, as he watched the smile on her lips be illuminated by the candle lights. She had been so bright and so young and so _innocent_. He was a ragged old, white trash, redneck that would be absolutely no good for her in any other way than as a protector of sorts. Hell, he knew that if she had the choice, she would probably have picked anyone else from the prison to be there with her instead.

But then he remembered the way that she had looked when she realized what he wasn't saying. There hadn't been any disgust on her face when he had silently watched her, trying to tell her everything he couldn't put into words in one single look. The only thing he had seen was realization and then something akin to surprise, confusion and awe all mixed together.

_Oh._

He didn't want to think about what might have happened if he hadn't gotten up to get the door. If he had stayed, he knew that he would have done something incredibly stupid that would have ruined whatever it was that they had built over the few weeks they had been together after the prison had fallen. He knew that she would have wanted to talk about it; whatever _it _was, and he wouldn't have been able to do so without making a complete fool out of himself.

If he had told her that he cared about her that night, things might have been different. Deep inside Daryl knew that it would have been an understatement to say that though, because the pain he had felt after she had died in front of him had been much worse than the pain he had felt for anyone he had cared about before.

He hadn't understood the extent of how much his feelings for the girl had grown until she had been laying dead by his feet and he had lost her forever. The excruciating pain in his chest that made it feel like his heart had exploded had crumbled him and he had knelt down and cradled Beth's body without even thinking about the people who were watching him.

He hadn't just cared about her.

But now that she was back, he couldn't help but think that maybe it was better that he had never gotten to tell her anything about how he had really grown to feel about her. Perhaps things would have been different, or maybe they wouldn't have changed anything at all? Beth might still have ended up dead, or presumed to be dead, or he might have lost her for real.

It might be better that she didn't remember him or anything that they had gone through together. If she remembered, she would surely have confronted him about his feelings and what would he say then? He was barely comfortable talking about anything relating to himself as it was, and he knew that if Beth ever asked him about what he felt for her, he would try to push her away even more than he already was doing now.

She deserved better and if he ever told her how he felt, she would most likely end up dead for real; just like all the other people he had ever cared about.

"I wish she would remember us," Noah said as he sat down on the grass next to Daryl, who had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed that the kid had stayed there next to him.

"I ain't getting' my hopes up," Daryl muttered, going back to hammering.

"Why do you think like that? Because she was shot through the head?" Noah wondered. "Morgan told us that she sometimes remembers small things and that her muscle memory seems to work well. Why wouldn't she remember more?"

Daryl didn't reply. Instead, he continued to work on the fence, deciding to ignore the kid again. Noah had gotten used to Daryl keeping quiet as soon as Beth was mentioned, so he didn't pull back. There had been several times along these last seven months that Noah had talked about the blonde they had thought they had lost with Daryl and Daryl had always proceeded to give him the silent treatment. The only times Daryl had spoken had been rare, and mostly they had been words of comfort when Noah had broken down.

"I miss talking to her," Noah admitted. "I miss my friend."

Daryl grunted, lowering his hammer as he turned toward the kid, "Ain't nothin' stoppin' you from talkin' to her." Noah looked down and started pulling on the grass nervously. Daryl put the hammer on the ground and reached over to put his hand on Noah's shoulder. "Hey," he said, earning the attention of the kid once more. "Ya can have a conversation with her," he told him, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "Nobody's gonna stop ya from talkin' to her."

Noah watched him for a moment before his lips quirked up a little. The kid turned away from him and stared at the wall they were building. "You know, the same thing applies to you," he told him.

Daryl's hand fell from Noah's shoulder and he stared the kid down, but the younger man couldn't be bothered because he wasn't even looking at Daryl as he spoke.

"You've been avoiding her like she has the plague or something," Noah continued. "If I talk to her, I think you should too. I know you were close before..."

"If I ever decide to talk to Beth, that's my business," Daryl snapped, turning back to working on the wall again.

"I didn't want to upset you," Noah said. "I'm just saying that no one would be blaming you if you wanted to talk to her. Everyone else is trying to get a moment in, so why shouldn't you?"

Noah stood up from the place he had been sitting and walked away. Daryl knew that the kid had a point, but he just couldn't bring himself to talk to Beth. He wasn't sure that he would be able to handle it.

He wouldn't be able to handle her talking to him as if he was a stranger, because he knew that that would be what finally broke him.

-§-

"How are you doing with everything?" Tyreese asked Carol as they worked together behind the house. Tyreese had helped Carol put up a clothing line for their newly washed clothes that Beth had gotten them to dry. Carol had been washing sheets and clothes all day long together with Father Gabriel and now she was doing the hanging together with Tyreese.

"I know you took it hard when Beth..." Tyreese trailed off, clearing his throat. "I mean, I know it wasn't easy for you. What happened all those months ago."

Carol picked up one of the larger sheets, folding it over the middle before hanging it up. "It was hard for all of us," she pointed out. "But I guess I felt guilty, in a way."

"Guilty?" Tyreese questioned. "Why would you feel guilty? What happened wasn't your fault."

"I felt guilty because both she and I were in that hospital and I was the only one who made it out alive," Carol explained. "Beth was always like...a daughter to me, I guess. In some weird dysfunctional family kind of way." Tyreese chuckled at that, but didn't oppose. "When she died, I couldn't believe it. I'm much older than her and I was sick at the time, still recovering from my injuries. She was young and healthy and if someone had told me that only one of us would be getting out of that hospital, I would have bet my money on it being her."

"You would have collected your winnings then," Tyreese pointed out.

"Seven, almost eight months later," Carol bitterly agreed. "When I saw her fall and then Daryl just..._break down_ like that. I knew I couldn't fall apart too. If anything, I needed to be stronger and survive because I knew that he wouldn't be able to lose someone else. Then he retreated into his old silent self and I knew I needed to keep my eye on him."

"You felt responsible," Tyreese acknowledged with a curt nod.

"I felt like somehow Beth had died so that I could live," Carol blinked a few times. "Noah talked to me one night and I realized that he felt the same way, but about himself. He thought that Beth might have gone after Dawn on purpose, knowing that there was a risk she might not make it, only so that Noah would get to leave with us."

"That's why you took him under your wing?"

"Mhm..." Carol hummed. "I asked him to help me keep an eye on Daryl too, when I wasn't around. It was good for him to have something to do."

"Can't argue with that," Tyreese said. "But Carol, you do know that no one actually blames you for what happened, right?"

Carol held the sweatshirt she had been about to hang up in her hands, wringing the material out a little. She looked up at Tyreese wordlessly, the silence speaking what she really thought.

He sighed deeply, "Stop blaming yourself. What happened to Beth was a tragedy but the nightmare is over now. I talked to Sasha yesterday while we were on the run and even she thinks that Daryl is opening up more again, so you don't have to worry about him. Things will be good, eventually."

Once again, Carol didn't speak, but she did send him a wary smile which he returned. They continued hanging the clothes, liking the silence that filled the space between them. Carol liked that she and Tyreese didn't have to speak much nowadays, but that they still understood each other fine. The time that they had spent alone with Judith, Mika and Lizzie had given them a chance to bond and when he had forgiven her for what she had done to Karen and David, the two of them had become something akin to friends.

Now, she couldn't imagine her life without either one of the people in their group, but she and Tyreese always seemed to have some kind of an understanding, a little different from what she and Daryl had. The feelings she had for Daryl ran as deep as any mother's feeling would run for their child. It was perhaps a little strange and at times these last few months he had tried to push her away, but she had stubbornly remained by his side and kept an eye on him.

Carol thought back to the hospital again; to when Beth had been shot through the head right in front of them and Daryl hadn't hesitated even a second before retaliating, killing Dawn before the woman could even say that she hadn't meant to shoot the blonde girl. The thing was that Carol had been there for Daryl when he had returned after Merle had died. He might not have said anything to her directly, or anyone else for that matter, but they had all understood what had probably gone down in the end. Even when that had happened, Carol hadn't seen Daryl act the way he had acted when Beth had been shot.

Not only that, but even after he had carried her out of the hospital and Maggie had collapsed, Daryl had _refused _to let go of her body until they had gotten somewhere remotely safe and he had told them that they needed to clean her up and patch her up so that she could be buried properly. Carol remembered that she had had a small conversation with Glenn and Tyreese regarding Daryl's _need_ to find Beth a coffin and then his insistence on digging her grave himself. She hadn't completely comprehended the extent of Daryl's feelings for the young girl then, but as the month's passed, it was pretty obvious how much Daryl had cared abut her, which only made Carol feel guiltier for surviving.

The back door to the house opened and Carol glanced back over her shoulder, only to see Beth standing on the small steps. For a moment Carol froze and looked over at Tyreese who didn't speak either when he looked back at Beth. Then he continued putting up the clothes for drying and Carol turned back to her work as well.

Behind her, she heard Beth move on the steps before sitting down. Carol could feel the young girl's eyes boring into her neck, but she understood what Tyreese had silently told her. They needed to wait for Beth to come to them, just like Rick had instructed them to do. It wasn't worth risking to push her away by scaring her. They had all seen Beth's reaction a couple of nights ago when Maggie had asked her what she had been doing while she had been alone with Morgan. As far as Carol knew, Beth still wasn't talking to Maggie and Maggie herself had not dared to approach her younger sister again. However, it seemed like Beth had formed an easy friendship with Tara but the brunette was yet to give some insight in what Beth was actually thinking. Carol understood that it couldn't be easy for Beth to just accept them all and when she thought back at her own reaction that first night that they had seen Beth alive, she knew that she had probably scared the poor girl.

It didn't change the fact that Carol loved just seeing Beth alive again. Every time she saw the young girl smiling, it felt as if the hope that had once seemed so lost had been returned to her once again. The only thing she could hope for now was that time would heal all wounds and that Beth would approach them herself when she was ready for it.

Carol looked back again, at Beth who was still sitting on the steps silently watching her and Tyreese and she couldn't help but feel that glimmer of hope once again flutter up inside of her.

-§-

Beth watched the woman who had embraced her that first night hang the clothes up for drying together with the man who, as far as she knew, was named Tyreese. She had been picking up on names these past few days and Tara had been helpful with describing the way the newcomers looked so that she could try and connect the names to the people.

The woman, who Beth was sure was named Carol, kept glancing back at her from time to time, but Beth knew that she was feeling just as awkward as Beth was.

Beth had spent the day with Tara once again, finding it easy to communicate with the young woman who knew what questions to ask and what topics to avoid. They had been walking the perimeter of the face furthest away from the house and Beth had confessed that she didn't know how to begin a conversation with anyone other that Tara, Michonne, Rick or Carl. So far, those four were the only people she had been able to talk to without getting angry at herself for not remembering, or getting angry at the other person for no apparent reason at all.

It was all bottled up inside of her, the anger, and she didn't know what to do about it. Tara had suggested that she take her time and get to know everyone slowly, one at a time and to Beth, that suggestion seemed to make the most sense.

"You don't have to start with Maggie," Tara had told her. "She's gonna give you time to come to her yourself. She won't be pushing you, unless you show her that you want to be pushed."

So Beth had decided to take Tara's advice to heart and slowly approach the newcomers, one at a time. She hadn't thought much about the woman who had embraced her so tightly when she had first met the group, but she knew that if there was one place she should begin, it was with Carol. There was just something about the older woman– how she had kissed all over Beth's face when she had seen her– that made it clear that she had cared a lot about Beth before. Sure, everyone who had been a part of her family had cared about her, if their reactions to seeing her alive were any indication, but Carol had seemed so utterly destroyed when she had realized that Beth didn't remember them.

Beth watched Carol and Tyreese hang clothes for drying and decided to finally speak.

"What's your name?" she asked, even though she already knew their names. It was better to start fresh; better to turn a blank page and build relationships from scratch instead of always thinking about disappointing them because she wasn't the same.

She watched as Carol froze with a sheet in her hands, clearly having not expected Beth to actually say something to them. The older woman turned her head in Beth's direction and Beth's eyes zeroed in on how Carol seemed to clutch the sheet just a little tighter.

Tyreese was the first one to reply though. He let go of the sweater he had been holding and slowly approached Beth, sticking his hand out for her to shake, "Tyreese, but some in our group call me Ty. Tyreese is fine though."

"Tyreese," Beth repeated, nodding slightly as she shook his hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you officially. Tara had told me a little about you and your sister... Uh, Sasha, right?"

"Yeah," Tyreese chuckled lightly. "Sasha's my baby sister, even if she acts like she's so much older than me."

Again, Beth nodded, but didn't reply. She looked over at Carol, who was still holding on to the sheet tightly. The older woman seemed to be avoiding to look into her eyes, but after a few moments, she finally met Beth's gaze. Much like Tyreese, she put the sheet down in the basket again and walked toward Beth, a little more hesitantly than Tyreese had.

Beth watched as Carol swallowed before holding her hand out too. "I'm Carol," she introduced herself, her voice sounding a little thick. Beth gently shook Carol's hand, causing Carol to inhale sharply and look away. "I'm sorry," Carol said. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but it's just..." she trailed off.

"It's difficult to comprehend that I'm alive," Beth clarified softly. "I get that."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Carol said, finally looking back at her. There were tears in the woman's eyes and Beth wondered how long it had been since she had properly cried, if one didn't count that night that they had been reunited. "I'm sorry if I am," Carol continued and this time, her eyes remained on Beth.

Beth took a small breath, mentally preparing herself to be strong, like Morgan had told her several times that she was. "That's actually why I'm here," she explained. "I wanted to apologize for the way I've been actin'." She cleared her throat a little, glancing down at the ground between them before looking back up again, at both of them this time. "I pushed you away that first night because I got scared and I can only imagine what that must've been like for you. You've been here for a few days now and I haven't even tried talkin' to ya yet, and I'm sorry for that."

"Beth, you have nothing to be sorry for," Carol said, but Beth only shook her head.

"I want to get to know you guys," she admitted. "All of you," she said, giving a pointed look at Tyreese as well. "I just didn't know where to begin and then I realized that there really isn't a good place to start. If I keep waiting for a good opportunity to come, I'll be waitin' forever and I don't want to lose more time than we've already lost. I want to get to know you."

Her throat was dry and she desperately needed a glass of water, but she just swallowed a bit so that it wouldn't get too hoarse later. "I'm just gonna ask you to be patient with me, please?" she finally asked.

It felt like years passed before Carol and Tyreese looked at each other and smiled lightly. Tyreese looked back at Beth and nodded, "No pressure, Beth. Take all the time you need."

"We'll get to know each other more and more as time passes," Carol agreed, a smile on her lips as well. "Just... Is it okay if I... If I hug you?" Instantly Beth saw the worry on Carol's face. The older woman clearly thought that she might have overstepped her boundaries so Beth did the only thing that felt right to do.

She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Carol's form. Immediately, Carol returned the embrace, her hands resting on Beth's shoulder blades as she pulled Beth in a little closer. The sense of security surprised Beth a little, but she quickly realized that the touch was _familiar _too. She tightened her grip a little and closed her eyes, burying her face in the crook of Carol's shoulder, trying to will her brain to cooperate with her for once.

She _wanted _to remember and when nothing came to her, she felt the disappointment set in. Carol must have sensed the way her body had tensed a little, because she pulled away ever so slowly and smiled down at Beth.

"It's okay," the older woman told her, touching her cheek softly. "I understand."

_I understand that you don't know me._

_I understand that you want to._

_I understand that you need time and I will give it to you._

Those were the things that Beth picked up on as she looked into Carol's eyes and found herself bowing her head down in a small, perhaps a little awkward, nod.

"I'll see you later," Beth said softly. She looked over at Tyreese, who seemed happy for the way the conversation that they had been having had turned out. Offering him the same nod as she had given Carol, Beth finally turned around and began walking back to the house again.

Before she entered, she looked back one last time, only to see Tyreese smiling down at Carol who was freely crying, despite the smile that was painted on her face as well.

It made Beth feel a little better than she had before.

-§-

Daryl sat outside on the porch, crossbow next to him, his last cigarette between his fingertips, still unlit. He stared ahead, at what he didn't know, but it was a calm night, much like every night had been since they had gotten to the farmhouse.

He still couldn't believe that a week had already passed and he had been able to avoid interacting with Beth completely. There had been no run-ins in the hallways, despite the two of them sleeping in room opposite each other, no conversations, no times when she needed help or he needed to know where something was.

The only thing that there had been plenty of, had been _glances_.

Usually, he was the one who sneaked one or two her way when he saw her walk out of the house together with Tara, or when she stood talking to Morgan about something in hushed tones. Sometimes, he could swear that he felt her eyes on him too, but when he looked her way, she was always looking at something else, which only made him feel pathetic and maybe even a little crazy. Was he really imagining things or was Beth just better at being stealthy than him?

The thought made him chuckle bitterly and he shook his head at himself for the way he was acting. He was a grown ass man that shouldn't be wondering whether a teenage girl (She was still a teenager right? As far as he knew, she should be about nineteen now, considering that she'd been eighteen when they had been separated.) was watching him in secret like he was watching her.

He felt almost like a creep when he thought about it like that, and considering that Beth didn't even know him now, it made it all that much creepier.

For a moment, he allowed himself to think about what would have been different if Beth had never actually forgotten him and the others. If she had been waiting for them to cross her path again and be reunited with them. Would she have embraced him, like he had wanted to do so desperately, but never had a chance to do at the hospital? Would she have told him that she had missed him and ask him if he had missed her?

(He had. So much that he was still actually missing her.)

The door behind him opened and he froze on the spot, wondering who it was that had come out of the house. The others had been inside, eating a late dinner together like civilized people and he had told them all that he would sit outside and keep watch, even though no one really thought they needed it.

The week that had been so quiet after all, but he wasn't willing to take any risks and when Rick had met his gaze, he knew that his brother in everything but blood felt the same way.

Beth didn't eat dinner with the rest of them; she hadn't been doing it since that second night when Maggie had asked her about what she had been doing during their time apart. The young blonde always ate dinner alone, holed up in her bedroom, or together with Tara, who was the only person other than Morgan who seemed to be allowed into Beth's room so far.

Sure, Carl and Michonne seemed to be allowed inside too, but the latter had never gotten around to it, too busy going on runs during the day and too tired to do so in the night, while Carl generally just spoke to Beth while they were outside and the two of them had a moment to spare from their own assignments.

Beth was always walking around, checking the perimeter, even though they all did it every day without being told to do so. She would say good morning to Rick every morning, let Carl hug her and then proceed to spend the rest of her time alternating between talking to Tara and discussing things with Morgan. He wondered if she would ever be as close to him as they had started to become before they had been separated.

"Hey," Carol said, sitting down next to him on the porch. There was a plate in her hand and she gestured for him to take it. "Brought you some. Figured that since you've decided to exile yourself out here, you might have gotten hungry."

"I ain't exilin' myself," Daryl muttered, but he took the plate anyway. "Ya don't need to take care of me."

"Are you sure that I don't?" Carol asked, giving him a pointed look. "You've been very quiet this week and I'm worried."

"Worryin' won't do ya no good," Daryl said, taking a bite from the deer meat she had brought him. "I'm fine."

Carol shot him one of her looks that told him just how much she didn't believe what he was saying. He just looked at her as blankly as he could before proceeding to stare ahead, much like had been doing before she had joined him on the porch.

They sat in silence while Daryl ate and Daryl found his mind once again drifting to the blonde that was probably upstairs in her room already. Before he could think any further and wonder what she was doing there, Carol spoke.

"You should try talking to Beth," she told him.

He froze with a piece of meat halfway into his mouth. Slowly, he lowered it to the plate again and looked at the woman sitting next to him, cleaning his fingers by licking them.

"No point of doin' that," he bit out. "She don't remember me, or any of us."

"I talked to her today," Carol said, narrowing her eyes at him. He knew that Carol could tell that he was putting up the walls around himself faster than ever before. "Tyreese and I talked about letting her come to us instead, like Rick told us all to and it worked. She told me she wants to get to know us."

"Good for you," he replied, turning away from her.

"Daryl, you shouldn't do this to yourself," Carol sighed. "We all know that you care about her, just as much as we all do... Maybe even _more_."

_She ain't got no clue, does she, lil' brother? Tha way ya been stalkin' the lil' girl with ya pervy lil' eyes?_

It had been a while since Daryl had heard Merle's voice inside his head. Since what had happened in the hospital, it was usually Beth's voice echoing in there, so he was surprised to hear Merle speaking to him now.

Daryl decided that it was better not to reply to Carol and instead tried to ignore her completely. It proved very difficult though, especially since Carol practically tore the plate from his hands to get his attention. When he met her eyes, he could see her anger shining through and he tried to remember the last time she had looked at him like that.

Probably never.

But now, she was and Daryl honestly couldn't put his finger on what it was that had made her react so angrily toward him.

"I wasn't done with tha'," he said, pointing at the food.

Carol's eyes narrowed, "I'm telling you that you should try to talk to Beth."

"Ya ain't my goddamn keeper, Carol," Daryl snapped at her, but his voice was low so that the people inside wouldn't hear them. Now he was the one staring her down, but she didn't falter under his gaze. "I don't need ya to fuckin' watch me like I'm some kid. I can do whatever the hell I want an' I don't_ want _to talk to Beth."

"That's a lie and we both know it," Carol said. "Whatever it is that is wearing you down, that is keeping you from going to her... You have to do something for you too sometimes, but more importantly, you need to give her a chance to get to know you again. We all owe her that much."

"All she knows 'bout us is that we buried her," Daryl glared. "Ya heard her that night, how upset she was. She called Maggie out on her stupid ass question an' she sure as hell showed that she won't be wantin' to talk to any of us about anything any time soon!"

"She talked to me and Tyreese today and told us she wants to get to know us, Daryl! Or did you not hear me when I told you so before?" Carol asked him.

"I heard ya perfectly fine, I just think it's her tryin' to be nice," Daryl sneered. "I wouldn' be surprised if she hates us for what we did."

"We thought she was dead," Carol tried to defend their actions but Daryl only shook his head.

"Doesn't change anythin'," he said. "She wasn't an' now she's prob'ly permanently damaged or somethin'... _Would be just my luck_..."

The last part he had mumbled so low that he wasn't sure Carol had heard him. It seemed like he was finally able to get through to her though, because she shoved the plate back into his hands and stood up.

"As far as I could tell, Beth seemed perfectly fine, considering everything," Carol told him as she brushed her pants with her hands. "You're just being stubborn and hurting yourself in the process while trying to avoid her. Don't think that she won't come to you just because you act like she's a damn walker or something that you don't want to get close to." She began walking back to the front door, but paused and turned back to look at him again. "And I might not be your keeper, Daryl, but I _am _your friend, and as your friend, I'll always be there to remind you that you're making a mistake when I see that your are."

With that final word Carol walked inside again and left Daryl alone on the porch. He glared down at his plate and the small piece of food that was left on it and suddenly didn't feel very hungry anymore.

Carol was wrong, he tried to tell himself. It was better that he gave Beth space and didn't ruin her life by somehow getting all tangled up in whatever it was that he was feeling for her. She would be better off without having to deal with him and he sure as hell would be better off not having to confront the things he was feeling for the girl... Things that Carol, Rick and Michonne and maybe everyone else had already picked up on.

He sighed as he put the plate to the side and picked up his last cigarette again, watching it silently, knowing that he might need it more on a rainy day when his nerves finally get the better of him.

Yet, he lit it and put it between his lips, dragging in the deadly smoke as he once again bitterly imagined how things would have been different, if Beth would only remember what she meant to him.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: So in this chapter we got some more insight on how Carol feels too. I might have some scenes like that where I go to other characters to get their point of view, even though the main part of the story will be about Beth and Daryl and their views on everything.<strong>

**Oh, and I almost forgot! The Anonymous reviewer who caught the little thing that Michonne and Daryl are the only ones who know something small about Daryl... You'll just have to wait a while to see what I meant with that, since it was a clue to a future chapter! ;)**

**Thank you so much for reading and I really hope that you review! Reviews are what drive me to keep writing and motivate me to get to the good parts sooner! ;)**

**Many hugs! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: Hey people! Due to the wonderful response and amount of reviews I got on the previous chapter, I got the motivation to finish this one quicker and post it just as quick! Normally, I keep the chapter with me for at least five days before I post it, but since I promised a chapter if the reviews were good, I couldn't go back on that! :)**

**I enjoyed writing this one and I hope you guys think it's okay too. It shows some of Beth's skills (that she might not have had on the show, but she's gonna have it in my fic because I can honestly see her being that BAMF) and I hope you'll like it! :)**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed so far and to the guest who mentioned me being a girl or boy, well, I'm a girl, so I'm just putting that out there! Haha! ^^**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 6**

Beth gently stirred the pot of porridge above the wood-driven stove, listening to the conversation that was going on around the dinner table.

"I really hope they get all the things they need," Tara told Carl as she leaned back on her chair. "I can't wait for them to get the water running in this house so I can get a proper shower!"

"Yeah, you just wait until they come back and find out we decided to be lazy all day and not work anything outside," Sasha grinned at the other woman. "Ty is gonna be so pissed that he decided to go along on this run."

"You lot all deserve a break," Morgan told them from his seat at the head of the table. "You've been working your asses off to get those pits dug and the wall up. Rick and the others can always take a break tomorrow."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen," Michonne muttered, shifting Judith on her lap. The toddler giggled and grabbed some of her hair, pulling it, but it only made Michonne smile down at her.

Beth smiled to herself as she continued to stir the pot.

This morning had been one of those rare ones where Morgan had been forced to come and wake her up because she had decided to sleep in a bit. He had told her that Rick had taken most of the men with him on a run because Eugene, the man with the mullet had figured out a way to get the generator in the basement repaired and started and also fix the pipelines from the farm's own water reservoir. Eugene had apparently come to Morgan the previous night and asked for permission to repair the things, after having explained that he had spent most of the week downstairs, figuring out how the generator worked. Morgan had talked to Rick about it and they had both agreed that having running water in the house would be a good thing before winter came along.

Beth for one couldn't wait.

Because of her condition she hadn't been able to contribute at all when it came to fixing the generator, although she was fairly sure that she hadn't known anything about generators before she lost her memories either. Morgan was handy when it came to stuff around the house, but as soon as electricity or something mechanic needed tinkering, he only knew the basics. That naturally meant that when they had gotten to the farm house and made sure that it was clean of both walkers and dust, they had both decided that they didn't need the running water or the electricity, especially not considering that the house had a back-up stove that was run purely on wood.

This morning the news of the possibility to have running water had thrilled Beth more than anything, so she had gotten up and insisted that she help Carol make breakfast to the rest of the household. Usually, she and Morgan would just fill up buckets of water from the well in the backyard and have them stocked in the bathroom upstairs, which was the only one they used. However, now that there were so many people in the house, they would need to clean the bathroom downstairs as well and maybe even the small one that barely fit one person in the basement. Running water would surely be a savior to them all.

"Noah, will you help with the plates?" Carol asked and Beth glanced at the boy who was surely about her age as he stood from the table where he had been sitting next to Carl.

"Yeah Noah, help with the plates," the younger boy snickered.

Carol shot him a look, "And you, Carl, can go ahead and help him." Carl's smirk fell, but he stood up without protest and helped Noah.

Two days had passed since Beth had approached Carol about getting to know them all and they had all been taking it fairly slow so far. Noah had introduced himself to Beth yesterday, but there was just something about him that seemed so familiar that she had been able to start an easy conversation about nothing in particular with him.

"How's it going, Beth?" Carl asked, looking down at the porridge she was stirring.

"Should be done soon," she told him, a small smile on her lips.

"I never thought I would miss somethin' like porridge," Noah confessed, inhaling through his nose. "God, that smells good!"

"Lucky for you guys, lil' Lady was the one who basically ordered me to take several bags of it with me on one of our runs," Morgan spoke from the table. "She insisted, especially since the truck could carry it."

"Well done, Beth," Carl praised as he took a deep breath himself, licking his lips at the wonderful aroma.

Beth blushed, not really knowing what to say, and thankfully, Carol stepped in, telling the boys to sit down again. "There's some leftover meat from two days ago that needs to be eaten unless we want it to go bad," Carol told them.

"I don't mind some meat," Carl replied, standing up to get himself a fork and a knife in addition to the spoon that Noah had set out. When he sat down again, he began twisting and turning the knife in his hand, almost absentmindedly.

Michonne held Judith a little closer to her and shot Carl a look, "Carl, don't play knife thrower when Judith is around. Accidents happen."

Carl instantly put the knife on the table, without asking any questions whatsoever and Beth wondered just how much they all must have been through together for Carl to have such respect for Michonne.

Beth had been observing them all these last few days and as far as she could tell, Michonne and Rick were close, so maybe that too had been passed on to Carl? Sometimes, she could see Rick linger in the background when Michonne walked away from him, but the man still wore his wedding band, so perhaps he just wasn't ready to let go of the woman who had been his wife, Lori.

Carl had told her about Lori and from what Beth gathered, she had been fairly close with her once. Not remembering her, pained her, but at the same time, she felt a little relieved that she didn't have all the deaths that had occurred hanging over her head and sticking into her heart.

"Speaking of knife throwing," Morgan said, causing Beth to look up at him, a little startled. He smiled at her gently and she narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what he was doing. "You should start trainin' again, lil' Lady."

There was a beat of silence before Beth cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, maybe a little later," she agreed, already feeling the blush creeping up on her cheeks again. "I'll get the knives out of my closet."

"Wait a second," Sasha said, leaning over the table to get a better look at Beth. "You know how to throw knives?"

"No. Fucking. Way!" Carl said, staring wide eyes at Beth. Everyone in the room seemed to have turned their attention to her now and she bit her lip, glancing down at her feet. She didn't exactly like the extra attention Morgan's comment had gotten her, mostly because she had enjoyed just standing there quietly, observing them.

"_Carl_..." Michonne warned, looking at the boy.

"I mean: No _fricking _way!" Carl corrected himself quickly.

"Better," Michonne smiled.

"And to answer your question, yes. The lil' Lady here sure is a natural at it too," Morgan said, which made everyone turn to him instead. "When she got a bit better physically, we found some real throwing knives in a case along the way toward DC, maybe a month or so before we found this place," he explained. "We took 'em with us, not really knowing anything about them. I mean, I had thrown a knife or two once, but I wasn't the very best at it. Used to play darts back home sometimes and I figured it couldn't be much different. When we started playfully throwing in the woods, a walked stumbled out and the lil' lady reacted on instinct and threw one of the knives. Got it right in the left eye," Morgan told them.

Beth remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. She had panicked a little at first when the walker had come out of nowhere, mainly because she was afraid that there might be a herd coming or something. She had thrown the knife and gotten her smaller one that she always had in her belt out, prepared to fight off more of them, but none had come. When she had faced Morgan, he had been looking at her in awe as he walked over to the walker and looked at the found, pointing out to her that she had hit it on the first try. After that, Morgan had set up some targets and she had tried aiming and throwing, but it was almost like the more she aimed, the less she hit. Morgan figured it had to do with the pressure she felt at hitting the target, so he suggested she just close her eyes and throw. When she did that, she hit the can in the middle and after that, she just continued to work on instinct. Morgan taught her what little he knew about it and she became quite good at it, using a strength that she hadn't even known was there in the beginning.

"She hasn't been trainin' for a while so she's probably a bit rusty now, aren't you, lil' Lady?" Morgan teased.

Beth turned to look at him and smirked, "Instincts don't just go away, Morgan."

"She's got that right," Michonne agreed.

"Although, it would be awesome to see," Carl pointed out, looking over at Beth again. "What do ya say, Beth? You up for the challenge?"

"Yeah, show us those skills that Morgan's telling us about," Noah said.

Beth shrugged, "I don't see why not. Since Morgan thinks I need to train again, I might as well."

She was a little surprised to see Carl and Noah's faces light up like they did, but they really seemed to be genuinely excited to see what she got when it came to knife throwing.

"Maybe you can teach us something?" Carl wondered.

"Maybe," Beth nodded, "after breakfast."

"That's right," Carol said. "You have to eat before you can do anything and I think it'll do you good to be prepared in any way possible. We don't want to get soft and be unprepared if anything were to happen, even if we are safe for the time being."

There was a murmur of agreements around the table and Beth finally put out the fire, picking up the pot of porridge. She turned around to the people she was slowly getting to know and smiled happily, "Who's hungry?"

-§-

Daryl closed the door to the truck as quietly as possible before loading his crossbow. He looked over at Rick, who had been driving and watched as he signaled for the others who had driven in Tyreese's jeep to be equally quiet. The engine to the car was cut off and Tyreese stepped out of the driver's seat, taking his rifle out of the car. Abraham and Glenn stepped out next with Eugene in a tow. Daryl turned back around and looked suspiciously down the parking lot, assessing the mall that they had arrived at.

Eugene had found it on one of his maps that he had scavenged during their many months on the road. Daryl had never really cared much for the maps that the fake scientist kept in his backpack, and as long as he pulled his own weight, Daryl had always thought that he could take a whole printer with him if he wanted to as well. Just as long as Daryl didn't have to carry his useless crap around.

But naturally, even though Eugene might have been a fake _scientist_ it didn't mean that the man wasn't clever. The maps were once again proving to be useful because they used them frequently now that they had a place that they would return to. Mapping out the runs they went on was good, especially considering how difficult gas was to come around nowadays. They could make sure that their vehicles had enough to travel the entire way to their destination and back to the farmhouse. Along the way, they would stop if they thought it was safe and try to gather up gas from any abandoned cars they crossed paths with.

A loud _slam_ behind him caused Daryl to swirl around with his bow raised and his eyes immediately tried to seek out the potential threat. It seemed like the others in his group had the same idea, because they were all respectively pointing their weapons at Eugene, who was holding his hands up in surrender.

It seemed like the mullet-man had slammed the door a little too loudly since he clearly didn't remember that being silent was one of the main rules they had established when it came to going on runs.

"Sorry," he said, giving them all a sheepish look and Daryl couldn't help but roll his eyes as he turned back around to face the mall.

"There's a sign there that lists all the stores in the mall," Glenn said as the group gather closer to each other. "Never thought those were very useful until now..."

"There's a hardware store on the first floor," Eugene pointed out.

"Which means we gotta stay as quiet as possible," Abraham nodded. "There's no tellin' how many walkers might be in there."

"Aren't we gonna try an' lure them out here?" Eugene frowned.

"Maybe that's a better idea," Daryl agreed.

"Still no way of knowing how many are in there," Glenn said. "What if there are too many? We can't just shoot them all since it'll draw more attention to us."

"How 'bout Abraham an' I go in with Eugene," Daryl suggested. "Glenn, Rick and Tyreese, you watch our backs and Eugene shows us everythin' he needs for the pipes. We kill all the walkers tha' get in our way, an' try to get the things out as fast as we can."

It wasn't the best plan in the world, but if would have to do since the others nodded in agreement. Daryl looked over at Eugene who looked a little pale.

"Ya ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout," he told him. "Ya got your knife an' we all got your back in there."

"Y-Yeah," Eugene stuttered in agreement before raising his head. "_Yes_," he said, with a little more conviction than before. Daryl turned toward the mall again and sighed. This would be a long day, but at least looking for material while keeping everyone safe would keep his mind off of the blonde he had dreamed so vividly about the previous night.

-§-

"Okay, how are we gonna go about this?" Noah asked, clapping his hands together. Beth looked at him curiously before smiling and shaking her head.

She, Carl and Noah had gone out in the backyard with Morgan who was putting up a board for Beth to practice on. Carol and the other women had stayed behind in the house to clean up a little but had told them that they too would very much like to see Beth throw knives.

"No particular way to go about it," Morgan told the younger man. "You boys just stand back and let the lil' Lady awe you with her skills, while I make sure that the technique I showed her is still good."

"I thought you said she threw on instinct?" Carl frowned.

"I do," Beth nodded as she opened her box of throwing knives. It was almost a complete set, with only three bigger knives missing, which left seven perfectly usable knives behind for her. "Morgan just likes to think that he was the one who taught me everything I know."

"I never claimed such a thing, lil' Lady! Stop making me look bad in front of the new people," Morgan said, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

Beth smiled, picking up one of the smaller knives, feeling the weight in her hand, "I'm just joking. Morgan has taught me quite a few useful things, but knife throwing sort of came too easily to me." She turned around and faced Noah and Carl. "I always thought it might be something I could do before I got shot... So, did I?"

"Did you what?" Carl asked for clarification.

"Know how to throw knives?" Beth said.

"No, not that I know," Carl admitted, a small frown on his lips. Beth could tell that there were some things floating around in the young boy's mind, but she didn't want to pry. If he thought it was important, he would tell her, she figured.

"But you did have good aim," Noah informed her. "You saved my life once. All you had was a gun, but you got a head shot in on every single walker that came at you."

Beth tried searching for the memory inside her head, but it seemed like the black veil didn't feel like moving at all today. She looked over at Morgan and met his gaze. He could clearly tell what she had been trying to do and offered her a small smile of consolation. Seven months of only being with each other would certainly give one the time to get to know the other person's tells and Beth knew that Morgan had become somewhat of an expert when it came to telling that she had tried to remember something and failed.

"So you _did _have good aim before then," he teased, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Damn, now I certainly can't take credit."

"There are other things you _can _take credit for," Beth told him. "Like saving my life."

"You saved yourself, lil' Lady," Morgan told her, this time a little more serious. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

A beat passed and no one spoke. Beth could feel both Noah and Carl watching her and Morgan after their little exchange and she tried not to pay any attention to it. She held the knife in her hand and turned toward the board where Morgan had made a mark in the middle with a circle. Taking out two more of her knives, she turned to face the board and Morgan moved out of the way wordlessly. Without saying anything, Beth drew one of her hands back and threw one of the knives toward the tree, letting it fly through the air before embedding itself inside the circle that Morgan had drawn with a small _thunk_. It wasn't perfectly in the middle, but it was close and she heard Carl let out an awed whistle.

She smirked to herself before throwing the other two, hitting a bit closer to the middle with one of them, while the other one hit the line of the circle. Frowning, she tilted her head sideways and inspected her hits from afar. If it had been a human she was trying to hit, she definitely would have ended up injuring them with her hits, but a walker might still be able to get away if she didn't hit them in the head with the knives. This frustrated her to no end, but she shrugged either way when she turned to look at Morgan again.

"You know you can do better than that," he told her. She walked over to her case again and took out the remaining four throwing knives. The blades were sharper on these four, but at the same time a little thinner. They were lighter to hold as well and Beth liked them more than the first three she had used that were a little bigger in size.

She held three of the knives in her left hand, preferring her right when it came to throwing and looked at the board. Inhaling deeply, she began throwing.

_Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk._

The four knives were all inside the circle, much closer to the middle than the previous three and Beth couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.

"Woah!" Carl exclaimed, clapping his hands. Noah clapped too and it was first when Beth turned around that she noticed that the others had come out to watch too.

Michonne, Tara and Sasha all looked impressed at her while baby Judith seemed to follow her brother's example, clapping happily without even knowing what they were clapping for. Beside Tara, Rosita, the woman who was always hanging around with Abraham stood, and even she nodded curtly at Beth with a grin.

"I wouldn't mind having you by my side if we ever got attacked," she told Beth, who could only smile back.

"You're very good with those," Carol agreed. "Amazing, really."

Beth was about to thank them when the back door opened. They all turned around and stared at Maggie who stood on the steps, looking from Beth, to the tree where the knives were embedded in the board that Morgan had hung up and back to Beth.

Beth swallowed tightly and stared at her older sister. She still hadn't spoken to her after that disastrous dinner over a week ago and so far, Maggie had been avoiding her as much as Beth had been avoiding Maggie.

Maggie had been upstairs in her room all morning. Beth had asked Morgan whether her sister had gone on the run as well, but apparently, Maggie had wanted to stay behind today. It seemed like Maggie had decided on finally trying to approach Beth again, but now when she stood there in front of her, her older sister didn't speak a single word.

Beth wanted to do something to break the awful tension that suddenly seemed to be everywhere around them. She shifted a little and looked over at the knives and then back at her sister.

"Hi," she finally breathed out.

Maggie, along with everyone else around them, seemed to freeze and hesitate a little. "Hi," Maggie spoke, tilting her head a little as if to get a better look at Beth, clearly searching her face.

"Are you any good at knife throwing?" Beth asked, almost smacking herself in the head afterward. Out of all the things she could have said to try and ease the tension, she had to go with that. She felt so silly suddenly and she worried how Maggie would react.

Her sister though, didn't seem to find the question the least bit silly. Or at least, Beth didn't think so, because Maggie closed her eyes and let out a harsh breath. When she opened her eyes again, Beth could see that she was desperately trying not to cry, but there was a smile on her lips.

"No," Maggie shook her head, her voice a little thicker than before. "I've always preferred using my gun."

Her sister's reply was so simple, without a hint of animosity, that Beth couldn't help but slowly smile back at her.

"You wanna watch?" she asked, walking toward the knives, pulling them out of the board. She turned back to Maggie, who nodded, sitting down on the steps next to Michonne and Judith. The smile, albeit still a little sad, was still on her face. Maggie put her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands, looking intently at Beth.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'd like that."

At Maggie's words and Beth's calm nature, everyone else around them seemed to relax again. Beth looked at the ground, not only knowing that she could no longer avoid her sister, but also knowing that she _didn't want to _avoid her sister anymore. She had been angry that night when she had retaliated in such a way when Maggie had asked her what she had been up to, but she had had time to work on things and process having them, her family, close again. Sure, it was going to take a little time, but if she was ready to move forward with everyone else, then why not try to speak with her sister too?

Beth glanced up at Maggie again, smiled and then swiftly turned, throwing one of the lighter knives. She leaned back and looked at the knife. The smile that was already on her lips only widened when she saw that the knife was embedded perfectly in the middle of the circle.

-§-

Apparently, someone had already cleaned out the mall before them. Or at least someone had left a door open so that the walkers than had probably been inside had been able to walk out and wander off somewhere.

Daryl released his bolt and the seventh walker he had seen since entering the mall fell, the arrow embedded in its left eye. He walked over to it, used to the bad smell that always surrounded the dead and pulled out the bold, wiping the arrow-head on his pants. He turned around and motioned for Eugene and Rick to walk closer.

"There ain't many walkers in here," he pointed out, knowing that the rest of them had already made the same assessment. "We should call back Glenn and the others."

"You're right," Rick nodded. "There's no point in splittin' up if there aren't that many walkers 'round."

"Or you could always send them to the other stores to check for other supplies," Eugene said.

"We can do that together once we get all the things we need," Rick told him. "Daryl, do you mind getting' them?"

Daryl nodded curtly before loading his crossbow as a precaution. He walked out of the hardware store. He could see Glenn, Tyreese and Abraham standing by the escalators that were no longer working. Glenn looked up when he saw him approaching, so Daryl lifted his hand and motioned for them to come with two fingers.

"Ya see any walkers?" Daryl asked, but they all shook their heads.

"Killed two that stumbled out of the other store," Abraham pointed at two bodies a little further away. "Haven't seen any other than them."

"Good," Daryl nodded. "We stick together in the hardware store 'til we get what we need. Then we can check the other shops." Then nodded and followed him into the store again. "We better stay quiet just in case. Tyreese and Abraham, you go to the left and Glenn and I'll go right. Eugene and Rick are already inside somewhere, so don't go shootin' them on accident."

"Don't worry," Abraham snorted. "We all want a hot shower." He and Tyreese moved out, weapons ready and Daryl simply shook his head at them before turning to Glenn, who was watching him almost expectantly.

"Let's go," he grunted, stepping around the younger man, who followed.

At first he didn't think much of Glenn's strange behavior. They found Rick, Eugene, Abraham and Tyreese in the middle of the store where Eugene was going over his list and pointing at things for them to grab. When they carried out the things they would need, he felt Glenn's eyes burning holes into the back of his neck but he chose to ignore it either way.

They got almost everything they needed from the hardware store that their cars could carry, along with some dry food that wasn't too expired and could still be edible. Tyreese's jeep was full of both material and other stuff that they had found, so on the way back home, Glenn, who was the smallest in size, would have to squeeze into Morgan's truck together with Rick and Daryl.

"I'm just gonna get one quick look at the map, in case there are any smaller stores on the way back," Rick told Daryl and Glenn before walking off to the jeep. Daryl put his crossbow inside and turned back around to look at Glenn, who was biting his lip and looking at him nervously.

"What?" Daryl bit out, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "Why do ya keep lookin' at me like that?"

"Uh, well, you see... Maggie and I talked last night," Glenn mumbled. "She thought that I should see if you were doing alright... Considering."

"Considerin' _what_?" Daryl frowned. He didn't particularly like the idea that Maggie and Glenn had been talking about him but he already had an idea on what their conversation had been about.

"You're avoiding Beth, man," Glenn finally sighed. "I didn't wanna say anything, but–"

"Then ya probably shouldn't," Daryl snapped. "It ain't any of your concern and I'm fuckin' tired of everyone tellin' me what to do!"

Glenn looked a little taken aback by his sudden outburst, but it had been eating up inside of him ever since Carol had talked to him that night and told him that he should try to approach Beth.

"Everythin' alright here?" Rick asked as he walked back to them, eyebrow raised. Apparently, Daryl had raised his voice a little too much toward the end because he had gotten the attention of the other men as well.

"We're _peachy_," Daryl bit out, walking around the truck. "I'm drivin'." He got into the car without another word and stared ahead, wishing he had had a cigarette to calm his nerves.

-§-

Beth walked alongside Maggie on the outside of the fence. The two of them hadn't spoken much yet, but Beth had been the one to suggest that they take a walk together. She wanted to clear the air between herself and her sister because she hated knowing that she had been the one to push her away, all because she had been upset and hadn't known how to act around her and the others.

"You're not tired, are you?" Beth asked suddenly and Maggie looked up, a little startled.

"No," she shook her head. "Why do ya ask?"

"Do you feel like maybe comin' with me to a place? It's not very far from here," Beth explained. "It's a cabin I came across one day when I was huntin'."

"You know how to hunt?" Maggie wondered, her eyes widening a little in surprise.

"Yeah," Beth nodded, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "I... Uh, didn't I do that before?" she asked nervously.

Maggie looked deep in thought for a moment. Beth could almost see the wheels turning inside of her sister's head. It certainly didn't do anything to calm Beth's own nerves.

"Didn't Morgan teach you?" Maggie asked curiously.

"He knew how to track a bit, but I could do it myself just fine," Beth admitted. "He always missed somethin' until I pointed it out to him. Then I sort of took over huntin'..." She trailed off at Maggie's wondrous expression. Her sister looked almost like someone had just dropped a stone on her head and she had finally understood something.

"Why don't you show me the cabin? Before it gets too dark?" Maggie suggested, clearly trying to avoid the subject on whether or not Beth had known how to hunt before she was shot. Beth would let it slide for now though, because she wanted to be civil with her sister and she had a few things that she wanted to say anyway, so she wouldn't risk saying anything that would make Maggie pull back.

Once again, they walked quietly through the woods. Beth followed the trail that she had left behind the times that she had gone up to the small cabin to check on it as well as take some time to clear her head. After about an hour or so of walking, they reached the cabin and Maggie looked around, panting a little.

"You'd think I'd be in better condition considerin' how much we used to walk," her sister chuckled, looking at the wooden house. "You found this you said?"

"Yeah," Beth nodded. "I come here when I need to clear my head... It's safe. Morgan and I locked it up tightly so that we could have it as a backup in case the farm got attacked or overrun by walkers."

"Smart," Maggie acknowledged.

"So you wanna look inside or head back?" Beth asked.

"We should probably head back if we're gonna make it back before dark," Maggie said. Beth looked in the direction Maggie was looking in and indeed, the sun was already coloring the sky a pinkish orange, indicating that it was setting.

"Okay," Beth said as the two of them began walking again.

Half an hour passed and Beth glanced over at Maggie. She knew she wanted to deal with it before they reached the farmhouse again and everyone was around them, but she didn't even know where to begin. There were so many things that she wanted to know, so many things that she was afraid of asking. What had happened to the rest of their family? Had they been happy once?

_Had she ever been in love?_

It was a silly question to ask in the world that they were now living in, but it was something that Beth had thought about a lot when things got hard for her during the seven and something months that she had been alone with Morgan. It had actually been Morgan who had overheard her crying one night and then proceeded the next morning to tell her about all the things he thought she might have done before she had lost her memories. She hadn't been able to speak at that time, but the man had gone on and on about how she was so pretty that she probably had boys lining up around every block to ask her out and how she had most likely been the fiercest warrior in some amazonian tribe or something close to that.

Naturally, Beth hadn't looked anything like any amazonian woman she had seen in the comic books they had found along the way, but since she hadn't been able to speak, she had kept that all to herself. Then, when she got her voice back and got a moment alone from time to time, she thought about all the things that Morgan had gone on about and tried to imagine what her boyfriend might have looked like.

One night, when she had been sitting alone in her room in the farmhouse, probably a month or so before Rick's group had found them, there had been a small moment when Beth remembered sitting at a table with candles on the table. She couldn't remember what she had been wearing, where she was nor who it was that was sitting by the table with her. The only thing she had been able to remember, were the candles and a fluttering feeling in her stomach. She had been able to recall her mouth moving, smiling, feeling happy for the first time in forever, but couldn't recall a single word she had spoken or what the other person had told her. But in that moment, things had been _good_ and she had to believe that it couldn't have been with just anyone that she had felt that way.

Then again, she didn't want to know whether she had lost that person too, although perhaps it was better to at least know that she had had someone who had been that close to her, at least at some point in her life.

"Maggie..." Beth began slowly, earning her sister's attention.

"Hm?" Maggie hummed, looking over at Beth.

"I, uh... I wanted to apologize for the way I acted at dinner that night," Beth said. "I was outta line and I really shouldn't have snapped the way I did."

"Beth," Maggie sighed. "I was the one who was out of line. I should have thought before I spoke and for that _I'm _sorry."

"Can we please just start over?" Beth asked. "I remember how I felt when Michonne told me you were my sister. I was so happy and so _scared_ at disappointing you, I think... Please understand that I might be different from what you remember."

"I think you might have changed even before you got separated from us," Maggie mumbled distantly, but then a smile bloomed on her face. "Although, I would very much like to start over. To get to know you again... Be _real _sisters again."

"Good," Beth bit her lip. "Would it... Would if be okay if I hugged you? I feel like I should hug you."

This time Maggie didn't even bother to try and hide her tears. She nodded as one slid down her cheek. "Yes, that would be okay," she said, opening her arms in the same moment that Beth stepped into them.

Beth clung to her sister, her nose buried in Maggie's neck as she inhaled deeply. There was something so familiar about hugging Maggie, that it startled her a little at first. The scent that Beth inhaled, underneath the small hint of sweat from working hard and trekking through the woods with Beth for over two hours so far... It was something that Beth recognized. Before Beth could stop it, tears began slipping from her own eyes, but Maggie didn't say anything. Instead, she just held Beth tighter, as if letting her go would cause her to slip away into non-existence again. Beth buried her face in the crook of Maggie's neck and allowed herself to just _cry _silently. She felt safer than she ever had before and she knew it in her heart that Maggie would never use her tears against her, or mention them to anyone. This moment was between them and for the first time since her family had found her, Beth knew it in her heart that eventually things were going to be alright between them.

-§-

They arrived at the farmhouse just an hour or so after nightfall. Morgan, Maggie, Sasha, Michonne, Carol and Noah were sitting outside on the porch, talking in hushed tones and Abraham called them over to help carry out the things they had brought back with them.

Daryl could once again feel Glenn's eyes at him but he ignored it, knowing that he had already snapped at the man enough earlier. It wasn't necessarily Glenn's fault though, because Daryl understood that the people in his group and family would be talking about him behind his back the _second_ he had seen Beth alive. He knew that the chance of them just letting him be and not bringing up the way he had been after he had lost Beth was slim to none, but he had never expected any of them to just be so goddamn blunt about it either. Had they not learned anything about him from the years that they had been together? How could they not know that he would rather that no one bothered him about Beth, and instead just let him take his own time with approaching her, or even _choosing _whether he would _ever _approach her? It wasn't their choice to make and it certainly wasn't any of their business.

While he was busy trying to ignore Glenn, something else entirely caught his attention: Maggie was _smiling_. Actually, she was beaming as she approached her husband and kissed his cheek, causing Daryl to shy away from them for a moment. They were still close enough so that he could head them talking though.

"I _talked _to her, Glenn," Maggie said happily. "I actually talked to Beth today and we took a walk together and we were _good_."

"I'm happy for you, Mags," Glenn told his wife. "I told you it would all work out."

"I'm so happy. It feels like we've finally taken a step in the right direction," Maggie continued, and that was when Daryl decided to stop listening to them.

He was happy, for Maggie's sake, he really was... But that didn't change that he was also a little pissed at the woman for past mistakes, the first of which being that she hadn't spared a minute to actually go and search for her younger sister after Daryl had told her that Beth was alive somewhere. Then again, maybe he shouldn't dwell on things from the past? However, how much had Maggie actually told Beth? Had she told her _anything at all_?

"Are ya movin' the shit or just standin' there?" Abraham asked beside him suddenly. Daryl shot the man a glare before grabbing some of the bags from the bed of the pickup truck, carrying them toward the house.

"Everything go okay?" Carol asked him and he replied with a curt nod and a grunt. The woman rolled her eyes at him, but said nothing else. Michonne sent him an amused look before walking over to Rick, telling him that she had made Carl watch his baby sister and put her to bed as well since she thought it was good for them all to have time with Judith. Rick smiled at Michonne and thanked her for once again looking out for his children and the woman proceeded to squeeze his arm and smile lightly at him.

Daryl snorted, shaking his head. Michonne and everyone else sure made sure to hound him regarding Beth, but no one looked at their own behavior or more importantly, no one ever talked about how close Rick and Michonne had gotten since the fall of the prison. But Daryl wasn't like the others, so he would never be the one to point it out to them. Instead, he would do what he did best: observe in silence and tease when the right time came.

Before he knew it, they had gotten all the things inside and Daryl took the task of parking Morgan's pickup truck in its designated spot. As he walked back toward the house, he could see Glenn approaching him slowly.

"Hey, Daryl, could I just talk to you for a second?" the younger man asked. Daryl narrowed his eyes at him but nodded. Glenn sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. "Listen, I didn't mean anything bad with what I said today. It's your business and I respect whatever your choice is."

Daryl didn't say anything, just observed him quietly and Glenn blinked a few times before continuing.

"I'm not saying anything and I'm not telling you what to do, but you just gotta remember that we're your friends and I... I guess I just remembered the way you were when we lost Beth and I thought it would be good to tell you that it's okay for you to speak to her, if you want to," Glenn explained. "Not that anyone is forbidding you to do so," he added quickly with wide eyes. "I mean, I don't think anyone would ever do that and this is all me by the way. Maggie didn't put me up to talking to you. I did it by my own choice and really hope I haven't, like, offended you or anything."

In that moment, Daryl saw the old Glenn that he remembered meeting for the first time in the camp outside of Atlanta. The younger man was shifting nervously in front of him, almost as if he was expecting Daryl to punch him or something for saying the things he had said. When Daryl had snapped at him earlier today, it had been because he had been frustrated about the fact that no one minded their own business when it came to him and Beth. He didn't mean anything bad personally toward Glenn, but naturally, it had come out that way. He knew that everyone just wanted what was best for him, but the fact was that he wanted what was best for _Beth_ and currently, that was that he stayed the hell away from her until he got his feelings under control.

"Beth don't know me no more, Glenn," he said quietly. "I'm a stranger to her now." Maybe speaking truthfully would get Glenn off his back at least? Not that he hadn't told Michonne and Carol the truth, but he knew that women were more persistent and both Michonne and Carol were a thousand times more stubborn than the average woman.

"I get that," Glenn nodded solemnly. "But we're all strangers to her, aren't we? I mean, she's getting to know everyone all over again. Everyone but _you_."

"It's better that way," Daryl said. Glenn didn't look very convinced, but he also didn't look like he would start the same conversation over with Daryl again. "I'm off ta bed. Tired as fuck an' we need ta keep workin' the fence tomorrow an' then help the Scientist with the pipes."

"Right," Glenn agreed. "Well, good night then, I guess."

"G'night," Daryl nodded back before heading inside, leaving Glenn behind. Inside the rest of the adults were sitting in the living room, going over the plans for tomorrow as well as re-telling stories on how their day had gone. Daryl bid them a good night as well before heading upstairs, his crossbow hanging heavily around his shoulders. He could feel the tiredness seeping into his bones and he couldn't wait to finally go to bed and get some shut-eye. For once since they had arrived at the farm, he thought he might get a good night's sleep without constantly seeing Beth in front of him, just based on how tired he was.

As he walked through the hallway and toward his room, suddenly loud laughs were heard before the door opposite to his opened and both Rosita and Tara stumbled out, laughing their heads off at something. Behind them, Beth stood in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a gray short-sleeved shirt with an arrow on it, laughing along in the doorway.

Daryl stood frozen, staring at the three of them, but mostly, his attention was on the blonde tresses that framed Beth's face.

The three young women finally seemed to notice him staring and slowly their laughter died out. Tara and Rosita looked at each other, then at Daryl before slowly turning back to look at Beth and then back again at Daryl. He almost sighed, but he felt that if he did, all the air he held in his lungs would disappear and he might have a heart attack or something, which would honestly be a stupid way to die considering how many times he had cheated death already.

When Beth's cheeks turned rosy and she bit her lower lip, he sure as hell felt like it would give out though, so without acknowledging Tara and Rosita who tried to ask him how the run had gone, he promptly walked past them and went straight into his room, closing the door quickly. He lowered his crossbow and swallowed thickly, not being able to get the image of Beth's flushing cheeks out of his head before walking over to his bed. He gently put his crossbow on the chair next to the bed and then took off his angel-winged vest. He changed into a softer cotton shirt that Carol had given him when she had been done washing the clothes that Beth had given them and then laid down on his bed, one arm behind his head while the other rested on his stomach.

His mind was yet again invaded with the image of Beth's wide, blue eyes and he recalled how she just a minute ago had stood by her door, so casually and looked at him so _nervously_, while tugging on her lip.

Yeah, he probably wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight either.

-§-

Beth stepped back into the room and closed the door, leaning her back against it. She reached up and pressed her cool fingertips to her cheeks, knowing that they had been set aflame as soon as she had laid eyes on Daryl's slightly startled expression at seeing her, Rosita and Tara by her door.

She hadn't really been thinking when she invited Tara and Rosita into her room to just hang out for a bit. In her mind, it was what normal teenagers would do with her friends and after having that walk and talk with Maggie, she had really needed something to ease her mind a bit. At first it had been a little awkward because she still didn't know Rosita very well, but the girl had turned out to be a sweet badass that didn't take any shit from anyone. Rosita shared a bit about herself and her story with Abraham as well as a couple of stories from before the world went to crap. For a while they just sat there, reminiscing and sharing and when Beth began feeling a little bad about not remembering anything other than the last seven months, Rosita covered her hand and told her that she'd remember eventually.

Having that kind of support from someone who she had supposedly never even met before was startling to Beth, but she appreciated it just the same. When Rosita and Tara had finally called it a night and gotten up to leave, they had been telling each other bad jokes, which was exactly why they had been laughing so hard when they had opened the door.

And then Daryl was there.

And Beth had felt something.

It had been so subtle that she had almost missed it completely first because of the initial shock at seeing someone just standing there in the hallway, staring at them all. Then, his eyes had moved over her form and her heart, if only for a moment, had stuttered a bit in her chest. The blush had crept up on her cheeks before she had been able to even try telling herself not to turn red all over and then she had seen a small hint of pink on Daryl's cheeks as well, the moment before he had torn his eyes away from her and walked into his room.

Beth took a small breath and shook her head at herself. It had taken her physical contact or at least a conversation with everyone before she had felt the familiarity, but with Daryl, it apparently only took him looking her in the eyes for the first time since that awkward moment in the hallway downstairs, the day after they had arrived on the farm.

What exactly did that mean?

She couldn't help but wonder if they had been close before, but then again, if they had been, wouldn't Daryl at least have tried to have a simple conversation with her? They had been on the farm for over a week and the only thing the man seemed to be doing was trying to avoid her at every cost. Sometimes, when she walked around outside with Tara while the others worked on the wall, she could feel eyes burning into her back. She knew that _someone _was watching her, but she hadn't known that it was Daryl until she had caught him looking away once, almost a little slowly, as if he didn't really care whether she caught him. From that moment, she too sneaked a look his way, wondering why he acted the way he acted; why he never tried to talk to her.

Two nights ago she had been sitting in her room, writing in her journal about how she had finally taken the step to talk to Carol and Tyreese after getting a lot of encouragement from Tara, when she had heard voices down on the porch.

She had tried to peer down her window and see who it was, but she couldn't. Instead, she had recognized Carol's voice.

"_Don't think that she won't come to you just because you act like she's a damn walker or something that you don't want to get close to._"

Beth's mind had been swirling, wondering who Carol was talking to and then Carol had continued.

"_And I might not be your keeper, Daryl, but I am your friend, and as your friend, I'll always be there to remind you that you're making a mistake when I see that your are._"

_Daryl._

Carol had been talking to _Daryl _about _Beth_.

Or at least Beth assumed that it was her that Carol had been talking about since she couldn't remember if Daryl had been avoiding anyone else. But why would Carol tell Daryl that he was making a mistake by doing so?

Everything was just so confusing and Beth really didn't feel like making any assumptions. She wanted to hear it, whatever _it _was, from Daryl himself, but how was she supposed to approach him if he really was avoiding her?

That along with the jolt she had felt in her stomach tonight when she had seen him made her wonder, and if anything Beth nowadays hated, it was wondering. She wanted answers, just like she had desperately craved them seven months prior when she hadn't even been able to remember her own name. She wanted to get to know _everyone _who had been a part of her group, her family, and at this moment, Beth realized, Daryl was the only one she hadn't had at least one conversation with. Even Abraham and Eugene used to at least say good morning to her when she passed them by, but Daryl never as much as looked up at her.

Why was that?

She wanted to know and she wanted to talk to Daryl. So as she walked over to her bed and laid down, Beth thought about a good way to approach Daryl without making him uncomfortable.

Beth just hoped that it wouldn't take too long until she got the opportunity to put her plan in motion.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Yeah, Beth is talented with knives in this story and I sincerely hope that you guys are okay with that. I mean, I think that almost anything is possible when adrenaline kicks in and we already know for a fact that Beth has good aim (she kind of reminds me of comic!Andrea in that aspect). We've previously seen it on the show that people can get very good with certain skills "suddenly" even after having no professional training (*cough cough* Andrea being a great shot on the show) so I decided to go that route with Beth throwing knives. Her skills play an important part in the following chapter, which you all know is when our dear Daryl finally gets some alone time with Beth!<strong>

**I bet some of you can already imagine how that's gonna go, considering Beth's reflections in the final part of this chapter! ;)**

**Thank you for reading! Feel free to review and tell me what you thought! It's very much appreciated and it gives me that push that I need to get chapters finished quicker! Also, I might not be able to update just as quickly as I did this time because I have an exam coming up next week and I have a lot of books to read... still though, review away and I'll do my best to get the next chapter done within a week! :)**

**Thank you for your support!**

**xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: Just a quick little note here! This chapter is a long one and I really, hope you guys enjoy it! I've been studying my a** off for a law exam I have this Saturday, so unfortunately, I won't be able to write anything until Sunday...**

**On the end note of this chapter I have some questions that I would be very happy if you could answer in a review! Thank you so much to everyone who has sent their love and support by reviewing, putting this story on alert and favorite! You mean everything to me!**

**Now please enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 7**

It proved far more difficult for Beth to get Daryl alone for a conversation that she would have ever thought. The man seemed to be a professional when it came to avoiding her and somehow, each and every time she had hoped to catch him alone, he managed to find someone to talk to about something 'important' that needed privacy.

Not that he said anything to Beth about it being important, because he didn't talk to her. No, she just assumed it was important because of the constant crease between his eyebrows and the way his lips were always pressed into a tight line and how he always grunted out 'Need to talk to ya' to whoever it was that passed him by.

Four days had passed since Beth had made up her mind about seeking out Daryl and not once had she been able to catch him alone. She was pretty sure that he had noticed her secret advances, because from what others had told her, he seemed to be pretty observant, especially considering the fact that he was a hunter. That had to be the only explanation to how he always managed to find something to do, whether it was working on the pipelines with Eugene or building the walls or digging the pits.

Beth narrowed her eyes as she looked over Rosita's shoulder at the hunter who was carrying one of the larger pipes together with Rick. They had been working on getting the old pipes replaced with the new ones they had brought back from their last run and to get the water running from the farm's own water supply. Four days had gone by and it seemed like they should be done soon, but Eugene clearly wanted to make sure that everything was well connected and working fine before he even tried to turn on the water pump.

"Beth? Are you even listening to me?" Rosita exasperatedly asked. Beth looked at her quickly, forcing her attention away from Daryl. The woman was looking at her and frowning, curiosity written all over her face. "What's gotten your attention so bad? I've been trying to talk to you for five minutes but you keep drifting off."

Beth shrugged, trying to act indifferent, "Just didn't sleep well. Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was _saying_," Rosita drawled, "that we should go and check the pits to see if there are any walkers caught there."

Beth glanced sideways at Daryl who wiped a bit of sweat of his forehead, "Yeah, yeah... Sounds good." She watched as Daryl bent down to pick up his crossbow from the porch. He had put it there when Rick had asked him for help to carry the pipes and Beth had noticed how the man seemed to never let it out of his sight. Absentmindedly, Beth bit her lip and tilted her head a little as her eyes zeroed in on the way his arms flexed as he picked it up. He wasn't wearing any sleeves but she wasn't surprised that he wasn't cold. It was a warm day and even Beth found herself sweating a bit in the heat.

Wasn't it supposed to be autumn anyway?

Internally Beth shook her head at herself. She had stopped wondering about the weather a long time ago since it wasn't that reliable.

"Beth!" Rosita called out her name loudly. Beth jumped startled and stared widely as Daryl turned around less than a second after Rosita had called her name. His crossbow was raised and there was a worried expression etched on his face. Their eyes met briefly and Beth looked away, feeling the blush creep up her cheeks. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she could still _feel_ that his eyes were on her. She needed to know for sure though, so it wasn't just her imagination. Pulling together all her strength, she turned her head sideways before glancing up. Daryl's eyes were indeed still trained on her and this time, she didn't back down, even if she knew she was probably beet-red in the face. From a distance she could see that he too had a small blush as he slowly lowered his crossbow, clearly seeing that there was no danger present.

Beth wondered if he would have reacted the same way if someone else might have been in danger, or if this was something that was strictly connected to her. She didn't want to be egoistic or self-centered, but her mind actually did go there and she was genuinely curious. Could anyone really blame her for wondering?

Daryl was the one who looked away first and Beth watched him for a while longer as he started busying himself with cleaning his crossbow with a red rag that he always seemed to have close to himself.

Beth forced herself to look away from him and finally met Rosita's eyes again. The woman was looking a little smug for some reason and Beth could almost bet everything that it was because she had practically caught Beth checking out Daryl.

If it was possible to blush more, Beth was sure that she would, but since she was a hundred percent sure that there wasn't a part of her face that wasn't flushed, she wasn't worried about making herself even more obvious.

"So, do you wanna check out the pits with me then?" Rosita asked, that smug smile only widening on her lips.

"Yeah, okay," Beth nodded eagerly. She wanted to get as far away from Daryl at the moment because she had embarrassed herself enough already.

Rosita's smug grin softened into a smaller smile and Beth could see something in her eyes that expressed honesty. "You know, it's okay," she told Beth.

"Hmm?" Beth hummed. "What is?"

"That you're wonderin' about him... Daryl," Rosita clarified.

Beth tried to act indifferent, "I'm not wonderin' anythin'."

She could tell that Rosita wasn't convinced though, but the brunette shrugged at her anyway. "I'm just sayin' that if you were, it would be fine," Rosita said before hooking her arm through Beth's. Her shotgun was slung over her back as she pulled Beth along with her. "Come on, let's go check on those pits."

Beth followed her, but not before looking back and sneaking one last glance at Daryl.

Her heart beat just a tad faster, when she caught him looking away from her quickly and she decided that she'll be damned if she let another day pass without her talking to him.

-§-

Daryl forced himself to look away from Beth when he saw her turning toward him again after Rosita pulled her along. He felt her eyes linger a bit on him before she walked off somewhere, probably toward the pits considering the direction they were walking in and he took a deep breath.

These last four days it had become more and more difficult to avoid the blonde. It seemed almost like she had stated seeking him out and he could understand on some level that she might be curious about him. That didn't change his feelings at all though. He still firmly believed that Beth was better off not knowing him or getting close to him. After all, the last time they had become close, he had gotten so distracted that he had opened the front door without thinking and thus let a bunch of walkers separate them, which allowed for her to be kidnapped and then shot.

_No_, he told himself. Beth was better off with him as a simple acquaintance. Maybe he could keep her safe that way; as some kind of protector from a distance.

Or was that just creepy?

He snorted at himself, imagining all the things Merle would probably say to him about him being a nasty pervert toward Beth from afar which would probably have led to him punching his older brother's lights out.

Daryl knew that he couldn't keep making up excuses anymore though. Beth had become more forward when it came to looking at him and she didn't just shy away when he met her gaze or caught her looking. Instead she held her head high and her eyes seemed to shine somewhat awfully, which made his stomach turn in a way that he had only felt once before, and even that had been in her presence. The girl seemed to be determined to catch him alone, but so far he had been able to always find someone to talk to when she came close.

He needed a break.

He needed to hunt.

Daryl had made the decision the previous night when he had gone to bed and yet again hadn't been able to fall asleep. It almost infuriated him that Beth was always on his mind even when he knew that she was fine. The seven months that he had thought she was dead had been some of the most difficult months of his life and he had been certain that he would never stop dreaming about her. Then she showed up alive and well and he figured that maybe with time, his dreams of the girl would ease up. So far he had been proven wrong by his brain each and every night. It didn't matter how hard he tried not to think about her, because as soon as he remembered that she was sleeping in the room opposite his, he couldn't help but think about her.

The thing about Beth was that when she entered Daryl's mind once, she never left it.

He had barely gotten a few hours of sleep last night and that was when he had decided that he needed to exhaust himself in order to sleep better, if only for a night.

Today he had helped a bit with carrying the pipes down to the basement were Eugene was working, but he knew that he needed to get going if he was to return to the farm tonight. The woods near the farm were still unexplored to him and he wanted to take his time to try and get to know them better. He needed to know what kind of game there was there too so that he could plan his hunting trips better as well.

"Rick!" he called, gaining the other man's attention. "Get ya ass over 'ere," he waved him over, strapping his crossbow to his back.

Rick wiped his forehead before jogging over to him, "What? Somethin' wrong?"

"Nah," Daryl drawled. "Just wanted ta tell ya that I'm goin' out huntin'. Unless ya need me here?"

"We got it under control here, Daryl," Rick told him, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Ya need a break anyway. You've been workin' hard these last few days."

"Tha wall needs to go up," Daryl shrugged.

"Y'sure that's the only reason?" Rick inquired, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

Daryl rolled his eyes, "Don' expect me back until late in the evenin'. Prob'ly be back before it gets too dark, so don't ya go shootin' me or nothin' if I holler at ya."

Rick looked like he wanted to laugh, probably remembering the time that Andrea had ended up grazing the side of Daryl's head when she had mistaken him for a walker. It was only for a moment though, because the next, a saddened look covered his face instead and he nodded solemnly at Daryl.

Staying at this farm was bringing back more than just one memory of the Greene farm. Daryl had overheard Maggie and Carol talking about it two days ago in the kitchen and Maggie had pointed out just how similar the farm house was to her childhood home. She had wondered whether a subconscious part of Beth had made her want to stay there just because of the familiarities and at that moment, Morgan had stepped in and told them that Beth indeed had told Morgan once that she thought that she might have lived on a farm.

Daryl had only been able to wonder what else Beth's subconscious might be holding on to for her.

"I'll make sure that don't shoot ya," Rick told him and Daryl nodded at him.

"See ya later tonight then," he said, patting Rick's shoulder before making sure that his backup gun was fully loaded and his large hunting knife was sheathed in his belt.

"See ya, Daryl," Rick called after him.

As Daryl walked toward the fence, Carl hurried over to him, "Where ya goin'?"

"Huntin'," Daryl replied quickly.

"Want some company?" Carl wondered.

"Nah, not today, kid," Daryl said. "Need some time to myself. Gonna try an' bring back somethin' for ya though."

"As long as it's not a necklace made of walker ears," Carl smugly shot at him when he climbed over the fence.

"Maybe I''ll get ya some toes instead then," Daryl grinned, shaking his head at the boy. "Keep an eye on things, will ya?"

"Ya askin' me to keep an eye on Beth for ya?" Carl retorted, making Daryl pause. "She can watch herself. Ya shoulda seen her, throwing knives like a fucking badass."

"Don't curse, boy," Daryl said, trying to change the subject. "Or else yer lil' sister's first word's gonna be somethin' indecent an' then Michonne and yer dad might just kill ya."

"Whatever," Carl rolled his eyes. "See ya later, old man!"

"Not that old," Daryl called after him as the boy hurried back to the house.

Daryl started walking toward the woods, trying not to think about what Carl might have been thinking when he said that Daryl wanted him to keep an eye on Beth.

And the girl knew how to throw knives? Where the hell had that come from?

Actually, when he thought about it, Beth's ability to aim and shoot his crossbow had been fairly impressive when she had first started out learning and she had caught on quickly. The girl had strength that might not be as obvious as it was on some of the women in their group who were better built than her. Daryl had seen it first hand several times when she had killed walkers when they had been alone. Noah had told him the story about how he had gotten out of the damned hospital with Beth's help and according to the kid, Beth had delivered a perfect head shot to every walker that had come their way when she had helped him escape.

Pride had welled in Daryl's chest a moment before grief had gotten the better of him and then he had proceeded to avoid Noah for five days because he always ended up imagining Beth shooting walkers and killing them to help Noah get out.

Daryl forced his mind to travel to other places, not wanting to think about those seven months of hell that he had hardly been able to endure. The bad thoughts were replaced with how Beth looked now.

If what Carl said was true and Beth was skilled at throwing knives, he understood how her arms had gotten more defined than they had been before. Throwing knives was probably only one of the skills the girl had and if what Morgan had told them was true, the girl could hold her own out there in the world. After all, she had saved the man's life on more than one occasion.

Daryl stopped walking abruptly, looking to the right where he knew the pits were. He could see Rosita and Beth standing there talking about something and from where he was standing, it seemed to be a serious conversation.

What was he doing?

He shouldn't be watching Beth.

He shouldn't even be _thinking _about Beth!

The whole point of going on this hunt was to clear his mind from the girl and to finally maybe give himself a moment to breathe where he didn't wonder what she was doing every second that he couldn't see her.

Forcing his feet to move, he still couldn't help but glance toward the blonde one last time before stepping into the woods.

-§-

Beth and Rosita looked down in the pits with frowns on their faces. Rosita had her arms crossed over her chest while both of Beth's hands rested on her hips, looking down at the emptiness.

The pits had been dug out within the first few days that Rick and the others had arrived but every time that they checked on them, they always found them empty.

"Isn't in a bit strange how we haven't seen any walkers _at all_ around here?" Rosita remarked.

Beth shrugged, "Yeah, a bit, I suppose. Isn't that a good thing though?"

"Maybe," Rosita mumbled, still looking a bit worried.

"What are you thinking?" Beth asked, looking at the other woman.

"Nothin'," Rosita replied. "It's probably nothin'."

Beth opened her mouth to ask her to clarify when something behind her caught her attention. A hundred meters away or so, she spotted Daryl walking toward the woods. The crossbow slung over his shoulder was what gave his identity away and she watched him quietly as he walked to the edge of the woods before stopping for a moment. He was staring straight ahead before moving, almost automatically, pulling his crossbow forward and lifting it up. It was almost as if he wasn't even aware of the fact that he had done it and he stayed frozen for another minute before turning his head in Beth's direction.

Beth's breath hitched and she looked at Rosita again before glancing back at Daryl, who was once again looking ahead of himself.

"Where's he goin'?" Beth mumbled, mostly to herself but it seemed like she had caught Rosita's attention. The woman turned and looked in Daryl's direction right before the man stepped into the woods and out of their view.

"Probably to hunt or something," Rosita shrugged, not seeming surprised at all by this.

Beth however, felt something like panic rise inside of her for some reason. "We should head back," Beth said quickly. She grabbed Rosita's hand and pulled the woman with her, causing her to yelp in surprise. Beth didn't stop though. She moved quickly back toward the farmhouse, letting go of Rosita's hand only when she knew that they were close enough that Rosita wouldn't be in any danger to be alone. Jumping over the fence, she hurried past Carl who was once again looking at her impressed before she stomped up to Morgan and Rick who were discussing something.

"Where is Daryl going?"

Her question came out more demanding that she had initially wanted it to be, but it earned her both Morgan and Rick's attention.

"He's huntin', lil' Lady," Morgan said, a little surprised. "What's gotten you so stressed?"

"Is it really a good idea to have him go out alone like that? Shouldn't someone have gone with him?" Beth asked, frowning deeply.

"Daryl does his best huntin' alone," Rick told her. "He'll be fine out there."

For a second Beth's mind went to how she too did her best hunting alone, but she didn't bring it up. Instead she thought about Daryl alone in the woods and she didn't like it at all. Even if there hardly were any walkers in this area, she had a gut feeling that something could go wrong and it didn't _feel_ right to have him out there without anyone to watch his back.

She might be a bit of a hypocrite for thinking it, since she had gone out alone multiple times and Daryl was quite a bit older than her so she didn't doubt that he _could_ take care of himself. It was just that she wanted to _make sure _that he was fine.

Beth looked over at Morgan and the older man met her gaze.

"Lady..." he started, but trailed off when she just looked at him. She knew what she was asking him and he understood it too. They had long ago learned to communicate without words, after all. Finally, after searching her determined eyes for a minute, Morgan gave her a curt nod. "Be careful," was all he said.

Beth stepped forward and embraced him tightly before running inside the house. She didn't miss Rick's confused look, but she would leave it to Morgan to explain where she was going. She passed Maggie and Tara in the hallway, but she didn't have time to say anything. Instead she hurried to her room and dug out her box of throwing knives, attaching them to her belt. She grabbed another smaller dagger that she always carried with her and pulled on a long sleeved shirt over her head in case it got chilly. She strapped the dagger to her thigh, using the leg strap that she had acquired while she had been alone with Morgan.

She bolted out of her room, slamming the door behind her, hurried down the stairs as quickly as she could. She threw a "See ya later!" at Maggie and Tara when she passed them again and ran straight passed Rick and Morgan. Rick was still looking a bit surprised, but in Morgan's eyes there had been no such thing, rather, they shone with pride.

Beth once again jumped over the fence, ignoring Maggie calling out after her. Morgan would explain it to her sister. She ran to the edge of the forest, stopping only to look for the trail. It was barely noticeable, showing just how skilled of a hunter Daryl was. Beth followed it, a little bit in awe at how good the man was at covering his tracks, while at the same time making them so obvious to a skilled hunter.

She didn't know where she had learned to hunt, but seeing some of the tracks that Daryl left behind, she couldn't help but think that they were very similar to the hints she left herself when she went out alone.

-§-

The bolt flew straight into the squirrel, nailing it to the tree. Daryl lowered his crossbow and closed the gap between him and his little prey, taking it down from where it was hanging, attaching the animal to his belt. There were a good couple of squirrels hanging there, but he was tracking a deer that he had spotted about an hour ago before it had run off on him. He had managed to get the damn thing on it's back, and he could see that it was slowing down the closer he got to it. There were blood traces on the ground and he knew that it had lost a lot of blood already and was probably dying. He wanted to find it soon so that he could put it out of it's misery faster.

He had been out for hours, exploring the woods. It was relaxing to be alone and he honestly hadn't thought about Beth more than a couple times, which surely could be considered progress.

_Damn it_.

He did it again.

Thinking about the girl he wasn't supposed to think about while thinking about how he had managed not to think about her.

_'Fuck, lil' brother. If I'd known ya were such a teenager at heart, I wouldn't'a left ya like I did! Ya need a fuckin' babysitter now too?'_

"Stop it..." Daryl mumbled to Merle who had invaded his mind again. His brother was right though; he felt stupid for not being able to get Beth out of his mind.

_'Ya whipped, bro? Why don't ya just get what ya want an' get it over with? Officer Friendly an' the others'll surely kick ya out fer touchin' that sweet little piece of ass-'_

"Stop!" Daryl exclaimed loudly.

His voice rang out clear as day and for a brief moment, he didn't even realize what he had done. It was such a _stupid_ mistake. Something he was sure he had _never _done when he had been out on a hunt alone after the turn. His head wasn't screwed on right; that had to be the only explanation. Maybe it hadn't been for months, since the moment he had thought Beth had been killed in front of him.

He held his breath, listening intently.

Merle's voice was silent once again in his head, as were the woods around him.

He thought he might be safe...until he heard a moan and some shuffling.

The walker stumbled into his view, out of the trees. Daryl lifted his crossbow, aimed at his head and released the bolt, hoping that it was the only one that had heard him.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself, reloading the crossbow when more groans and moans were heard a little further away. He couldn't risk letting the walkers get to the farmhouse; he couldn't risk putting them all in danger.

Standing his ground, he waited. Four walkers dragged their feet against him and he shot one of them instantly. He backed up a little to give himself time to reload his crossbow, shooting another one.

Then. Another ten walkers stepped into view and he realized that he would be gravely outnumbered if he allowed them to get too close. He took a couple of steps back before turning around to run, but jumped back just as another two walkers came up behind him, growling and snapping their jaws with their hands stretched out in front of them. He kicked one back, reaching for his knife and stabbed the other one through the temple, blackened blood oozing out of it and onto his hand. The walker he had kicked stumbled back at him and he put that one down too, but by then, the other walkers behind him had gotten too close.

One of them grabbed at his shoulder and he struggled out of it's grip, turning with his knife in the air. The knife slashed across the decayed face and blood poured out, but it was only superficial, so the monster didn't die. Two more pushed at the first biter and Daryl stumbled back, trying to push them away so that he could get enough room to move.

He fell and landed on his back, the walkers falling over him. He managed to kill one as he was falling with it, but he couldn't get the other two. Others were circling around, dropping to the ground on their knees, growling and snarling as they leaned closer to him.

He was done for.

He was going to get bitten, or scratched, or just plain eaten up completely.

And the only thing going through his mind was Beth.

_'Well aren't ya a pathetic son of a bitch?'_

Daryl would have rolled his eyes at Merle's reappearance in his thoughts, but he figured if he was dying anyway and there was a life after this one, he could just kick his brother's ass for haunting his mind.

The walker next to him suddenly fell dead. Daryl looked at it quickly, seeing a shiny blade sticking out of it's skull. Next, a _swish _was heard close to him, and the walker that was on top of him went limp; another blade having been embedded straight into it's forehead.

Daryl managed to get his knife up to kill the third and pushed the dead bodies off of himself with his legs, scrambling out of the way of the other walkers that had knelt down. Two more knives were sent flying, but one of them only hit a walker in the shoulder. Daryl pushed his hunting knife deep into it's head, killing it instantly.

He watched as someone ran out of the trees, too quick to be a walker. He caught the sight of a blonde head, hair whipping around as the person- the _girl_- kicked a walker hard enough to cause it to stumble back. She put a dagger through it's head, blood spraying all over her shirt, but she didn't as much as flinch.

Her lips were pressed together tightly, her blue eyes glowing with a fierce intensity that left Daryl breathless.

It took him a second to bring himself back to reality and he stood immediately, helping her take down one walker after the other quietly.

When it was over, they were both panting. She still had her back turned toward him, but she slowly turned around and faced him. There was blood splattered all over her face and her long sleeved shirt was drenched in walker blood up to the elbows. Her whole front was wet as well and he could see just a hint of sweat on her forehead.

Then she _smiled– _just _fucking_ smiled at him, and his heartbeat picked up faster than ever.

"Hi," Beth grinned at him. "How's your hunt goin'?"

-§-

"What do ya mean she went after Daryl?" Maggie asked Morgan who had just finished explaining where Beth had run off to at such a speed. His explanation was actually only one sentence (_"She went after Daryl."_) and the man had spoken it so calmly that Maggie had actually stared at him as if he had gone crazy before taking a small step toward him with narrowed eyes.

"She didn't like the idea of him hunting alone in the woods without backup," Morgan explained further. "So she went after him."

"Without actually discussing it with anyone?" Maggie frowned.

"Mags," Glenn said beside her, but the woman just shook her head at her husband.

"She discussed it with me," Morgan said, his eyes narrowing a bit. "Beth can make her own decisions and I support them."

"How can you just-" Maggie cut herself off and shook her head. "I just can't believe that you let her run off like that. We just got her back! What if something happens to her?"

"Listen," Morgan sighed, rubbing his temple with two of his fingers. "I get that you're worried about the lil' Lady, but I promise you that she can hold her own. You might not be used to seeing her as someone who is a survivor, but believe me, you weren't there after she dug herself out of her grave and I got her to safety."

Maggie remained silent, but Morgan could tell that she was still worried about her sister. The brunette looked down at the ground and then kicked a small stone angrily before looking up at Morgan. "I know you've taught her well since you found her," Maggie said, "but she's still my little sister."

"And I can promise you that when she returns with Daryl, you'll see just how strong and capable she is of taking care of herself," Morgan retorted calmly.

"I never said I didn't believe that she was strong," Maggie frowned.

"You didn't have to," Morgan said. "It's all in your eyes."

Maggie stared at him as if he had just slapped her, but he honestly couldn't care less about that. He knew that Maggie cared about Beth and that she had missed her sister and all that, but he didn't like the fact that she still didn't seem to be able to grasp that Beth actually _could_ take care of herself.

Beth had told Morgan that she had showed Maggie the cabin in the woods that the two of them had found and the sisters seemed to have talked their issues over. Still, Morgan could see that Maggie wanted to keep Beth safe at all times, clearly scared of losing her again.

The older sister needed a wake up call and she would most likely get one when Beth returned home in one piece.

-§-

Beth had been walking through the woods for what felt like hours until she had finally found Daryl. She had heard the snarls and groans and moved as fast as she could, scared that her heart might actually jump right out of her chest when she had finally seen Daryl on the ground, walkers on top of him and surrounding him.

If anyone would have asked her to retell the story of how she had managed to actually get the upper hand on the walkers before Daryl got himself up and began helping her kill the bastards, she would have to say that it had all been a blur.

It had been a while since she had been forced to fight off walkers like that, but her muscle memory worked perfectly fine and just as Michonne had agreed with her on, instincts didn't just go away. The moment she had seen Daryl on his back, something inside of her had just snapped and she had worked as fast as she could to just try and save his life. She didn't know whether he had been bitten or not, but she _really _wished he hadn't been.

When she had asked him how his hunt was going after they had killed all the walkers, she had actually been joking, but Daryl was just staring at her, his mouth slightly agape.

"Uhm... Ya weren't bit, were ya?" Beth asked nervously.

Her new, more serious question seemed to bring Daryl out of his shock, daze, _whatever_.

He closed his mouth and shook his head slowly.

"I followed your tracks," she explained quickly. Maybe he was just confused as to why she was here and how she had found him? "Lost ya a couple of times... Guess I'm a bit rusty. But it's a good thing I got here, ain't it?"

Once again, Daryl didn't speak. He did however reach back into his pocket and pulled out his red rag and threw it at her. She caught it in the air and watched him curiously as he lowered his eyes to the ground. She held the surprisingly soft material in her hands before wiping her face with it, knowing that she probably looked awful.

"We gonna head back or are you gonna keep trackin' that deer and hope the walkers didn't get to it first?" she asked him. The only thing he offered her was a small shrug and half a head nod in the direction that the deer tracks led.

Was he really going to be _that_ stubborn?

"Let's go get your deer then," Beth finally said. "Just need to get my knives real fast and I think you want your arrows back, don't you?"

This time Daryl looked over at her, mumbled something inaudible- which she was pretty sure was meant for his ears only- before walking over to the walkers they had killed. He tore out the bolts from the ones he had killed, wiping the blood off of his pants that were already stained.

Both of them would be in need of washing when they got back to the farmhouse and Beth really hoped that Eugene had gotten the water running. She glanced over at Daryl as she retrieved her throwing knives, being able to finally see the tension set in his shoulders. The man was clearly surprised by her sudden appearance and still didn't want to talk to her. She knew she would once again have to be patient and wait for him to actually approach her instead of forcing him to speak to her, like she really wanted to do deep down.

The two of them got their things together and Daryl began walking. She watched him for a moment until he stopped, his back still turned toward her.

"Ya comin'?" His gruff tone and the actual sound of his voice made Beth smile to herself a little, but she was forced to ignore the way she almost shivered.

"Yeah, I'm comin'," she said, hurrying up and falling into step beside him.

Half an hour later they found the deer, a young buck actually, and Daryl took off his squirrel belt, holding it out for her to hold. She pulled it over her shoulder as he lifted the small deer up over his own before sticking out a hand in front of her. It took her a second to realize that he wanted the squirrels back, but she shook her head and tightened her grip on the little rope.

"I can carry them," she told him. "Let's just head back to the farm before it gets too dark."

Daryl looked like he wanted to protest, but once again said nothing.

Instead, they started walking.

-§-

The two of them walked silently through the woods in the direction of the farm. They were still a good hour or so away from their destination and Daryl was already itching to just clean himself up and get as far away from Beth as possible.

He could tell that she wanted to speak to him, but for some reason, the girl kept quiet. Truth be told, deep inside, he too wanted to talk to her, but he really didn't know if he could handle talking to her if she didn't even remember him.

After another ten minutes of walking, he heard Beth sigh loudly. He knew that she was baiting him to ask her whether she was tired or not, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of giving in like that.

She sighed again and he almost groaned when he realized that he couldn't deny her the conversation she was seeking any longer.

"Where tha hell did ya learn how to fight like tha', girl?" he asked, his tone coming out a little harsher than he had intended.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and noticed how a small smile spread across her face. She had lured him right into her little trap, but Daryl found himself not caring.

"You tell me," she said, her voice light, just like he remembered it. The rasp that had been there the night that they had found her and Morgan was gone, but Daryl couldn't help but wonder if her throat was still strained from time to time.

"Don' see how I can do that," he told her, ignoring the small flutters in his gut that were making him feel less like a man and more like a teenage boy again.

They walked for a bit in silence before Beth spoke again, "Morgan and I got ambushed by walkers one day when we were still just walking from town to town. I was still a bit weak and recovering, but when I saw that he was about to lose the fight I just started slashing through the dead ones as if I had been doing it for a million years."

"Muscle memory," Daryl said, even though he didn't really think that was the only answer. When they had been alone, he had managed to teach her a couple of things when it came to fighting, and she had picked up on it fairly quick. Perhaps her brain had at least had the decency to allow her to remember those parts of their time together.

"I don't think it's just that," Beth said slowly. "Morgan began teaching me what he knew, but he realized that someone else had already laid out the groundwork on me. I picked up things way too quick to be a beginner and the way I moved... Well, I think you get the point."

"What's your question then?" he asked her, finally turning to look at her. Their eyes met and he thought again about how incredible it was that after everything that had happened to her, against all odds, the girl was still alive.

"I have two," she admitted. "I just don't know which one I should ask. I mean, what if you decide not to answer either because one of them makes you uncomfortable?"

He didn't say anything, but he did begin walking again. The deer, even if it was small, hung heavy on his shoulders and he was beginning to feel tiredness seep into him from the fight against the walkers and the long day of hunting.

"Since you don't seem like much of a talker then," Beth muttered, "I'll ask you both and maybe you'll give me a reply?"

"Is that your first question?" Daryl couldn't help himself but Beth quickly shook her head.

"No cheating," she told him sternly. "My first question is whether you know who it was that taught me how to survive... So, do you?"

Daryl was now thankful for the deer he was carrying because hopefully, it covered the way he had tensed at her question. He didn't want to tell her that he was the one who had taught her. It would only make her more curious and then he would never get her to stay away from him. The only problem was that he didn't want to lie to her either. He knew that Beth deserved the truth from him, but he just couldn't bring himself to give it to her.

He decided to just stay silent and hope that she understood what he wasn't saying.

"So you don't know then...or you don't wanna tell me," Beth concluded. "That's fine for now I guess."

"Second question?" he wondered, glad that she wasn't pushing him at the moment.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks before turning to face her fully. Beth watched him innocently, as if her question was completely justified, which it absolutely was.

"I mean, you're the only one who hasn't tried to talk to me," Beth pointed out. "I had to learn your name from the others since you wouldn't introduce yourself." He kept staring at her. "Daryl?"

Hearing his name slip out of her mouth like that, shook him. The seven months they had been on the road, he had recounted all the times that she had said his name in his mind, just so that he would never forget her voice. Now that she was standing in front of him, her question burning between them and her face covered in confidence, evidence that she wouldn't back down on this one, all he could think about was how _perfect_ she sounded.

She was alive and she had said his name and he wondered briefly why he had stayed away from her to begin with. Why had he denied himself hearing her say his name? Why was it that it felt like he could take down a herd of walkers all on his own now that he had her close to him?

Then he remembered the gunshot. He remembered the way his lips had been sprayed with her blood and how, when he had cried with her cradled tightly to his chest, he had actually tasted her blood, knowing that he would never again hear her sweet and kind voice again.

That feeling of complete and utter despair was what reminded him of why he had chosen to stay away from her. She couldn't die again because he screwed up.

She couldn't die again because of him.

"Were we friends before?" Beth continued and he blinked at her a couple of times. She looked like she desperately wanted him to say something, but he was still trying to figure out what he was supposed to say.

"Nah," he finally drawled, trying to sound convincing, even though his heart clenched painfully at his own lie. "We never spoke much before," he told her. "Figured it wouldn' matter much if we did now either."

Beth watched him intently, looking like she could see right through his bad lies.

"_Oh_," she whispered and instantly his heart began pounding again as he recalled the night they had been separated and the things he had never gotten to say to her.

When he had seen her alive, he had thought that he might have actually gotten a second chance to do it right this time around, but then he had learned of her memory loss and realized that it wasn't his second chance that had been given to them, but _hers_.

"Yeah," he nodded. "We were in tha same group though, but we never really got to know each other. Just survived from day to day."

"We weren't even friends?" Beth frowned at him.

"We weren't _close_," he lied. Silently, he watched her for a little while before nodding his head forward. "We should keep goin'."

"Yeah..." Beth agreed quietly, turning to look ahead of them.

Daryl did his best to ignore the look of disappointment that crossed Beth's face before they continued to walk.

-§-

When they returned to the farmhouse, it was already dark outside. Maggie, Carol, Tara and Rick hurried outside and Maggie looked over Beth for any injuries, despite the fact that Beth told her that she was fine. Beth understood that her sister still didn't understand just how well Beth could protect herself, but she allowed Maggie to calm her own fears by looking over her, all while meeting Morgan's proud face as he too walked out of the house. Rick helped Daryl take the deer to a place in the backyard where it would be safe to skin it and Carol informed them that Eugene had gotten the water running.

"There's no hot water yet, but he said he might be able to do something about that when we get more firewood," Tara said, proudly showing Beth her newly washed hair.

"You definitely need a shower," Maggie said, looking over Beth's blood soaked clothes. "No offense."

Beth couldn't help but giggle at her sister's scrunched up nose before glancing over at Daryl, who was walking back toward them. When the man held out his hand toward her, she froze for a second, no understanding what he wanted. He clearly wasn't very talkative if his short answers in the forest had been any indication, or maybe he had just been telling the truth when he told her that the two of them had never been close.

Beth doubted that, mostly because he hadn't been able to look her in the eyes after he had told her that. There was no doubt in her mind that Daryl was still keeping something from her because she could feel it deep within her heart as well.

"The squirrels," Daryl muttered. "Need to skin them too."

When Beth finally realized that she was still holding on to the squirrels he had caught, she quickly fumbled to take off the strap, offering it to him. He met her eyes when he took it from her and then his eyes seemed to slip so casually down over her body.

"You should take that shower," he told her. "There's gore all over ya."

Beth stared at him as he turned around and walked back around the house again where Rick and Carol were waiting on him. She watched him quietly, not saying anything because at the moment she couldn't trust her own voice. Even if she might not have spoken much to Daryl in particular today, she could feel the effects of having gone days talking to Tara, Maggie, Carol and the others without resting her voice.

"You okay, lil' Lady?" Morgan asked from the porch where he sat. Beth offered him a curt nod and a small smile when she finally tore her eyes away from the spot where Daryl had disappeared from. Morgan nodded back thoughtfully, "Did ya strain yourself out there?" Beth swallowed thickly and offered yet another nod.

She didn't want to waste her voice on answering questions that already had obvious answers. Maggie looked over at Morgan questionably and the man simply sighed, shaking his head.

"Beth's throat gets sore sometimes," he told Maggie. "If she talks too much during the day, she usually feels the effect during the night. If she doesn't save her voice up, she won't be able to talk tomorrow. Sometimes she's fine though, and can go days talking non-stop, but then it sorta hits her all at once and she needs to rest her voice for a few days."

Maggie's face fell completely as she looked back at Beth again, "Is that true? Does it hurt much now?"

Beth shook her head and Morgan once again replied, "See, she's just saving her voice. Happens sometimes and then there's no point in tryin' to make her talk 'cause she won't answer. The girl knows her limits..."

"Okay," Maggie nodded. "Let's go get that water running so you can take a shower, and then find a towel for Daryl as well so he can clean up after skinnin' that deer."

Beth smiled at her sister and walked toward the house, finally feeling her exhaustion setting in. She wasn't entirely sure how she would manage to stand in the shower, but she knew that she needed it more than anything. Another thing she knew, was that she still wasn't ready to just let go of talking to Daryl.

As she passed Morgan, she gently put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He covered her small hand with is larger one and looked up at her.

"Proud of ya, lil' Lady," he told her and she could only smile at him before walking inside. It seemed like most of the others were already asleep. Michonne was sitting in the living room, reading something and she only looked up shortly at Beth and nodded at her before Beth ascended the stairs. Maggie and Tara followed her to show her how the water would work and then they told her to sleep well before retreating into their own rooms.

Beth showered quickly. Even if she wanted to savor the feeling of finally having running water she needed to be ready for her chance. She pulled on her flannel pajama pants and a long-sleeved shirt because she felt a little cold. Once she was dressed she opened her door a little so that she would be able to hear if anyone walked into the bathroom before drying her hair the best she could with her towel.

Absentmindedly, she began humming a little when she finally heard the sound of water running. Daryl was taking his shower and she knew that it would only be a matter of time before he went to his room.

Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard the bathroom door open again and then heavy footsteps that were walking toward their end of the hallway. Before she could second guess herself and talk herself out of it, Beth swung her door open and stood in the doorway. It took less than a second for Daryl's deep blue eyes to connect with hers and she kept herself from swallowing loudly at the feeling she suddenly got in her stomach.

His hair was still dripping wet and he was wearing a new pair of clean jeans, although they were just as torn up as the old ones he had worn in the forest. He was still wearing the vest she had grown accustomed to seeing him in around the house, but instead of wearing a shirt underneath it, he was just wearing a plain white wife-beater. Beth couldn't help but taking in his form, biting her lip when as she saw his muscles tensing a bit, which only caused them to flex more.

He looked as nervous as she felt, even though he was trying to cover it up.

Beth was forced to clear her throat a bit, already feeling the soreness kicking in. She'd had a long day and even if she might not have spoken much during it, the last few days had been spent laughing and conversing with both Tara and Maggie. Her vocal cords were bound to be strained for a few days in turn and she had expected it. Still, she knew that she needed to get what she wanted to say out.

"Hi," she said lamely, her voice still not as raspy as it could get. Daryl only watched her quietly, not looking like he was going to start talking any time soon, so she continued. "I just wanted to say thank you for answering my questions today."

The man blinked at her a couple of times before nodding curtly, his lips pressing together in a thin line, "Didn't tell ya much..." His voice was quiet but she had heard him just fine.

"I know I kind of cornered you," she continued, "and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." She watched him before she felt her cheeks heat up and she smiled looking down. "I guess I'm kinda doin' it again, aren't I? Cornering you..." she said, still smiling but not daring to look up at him. She didn't want him to be mad at her for doing it and from what she had understood about him so far, he wasn't exactly the kind of man who enjoyed talking about his feelings and such.

"I just wanted to thank you, I guess," she finally shrugged. When she looked up, his eyebrows were drawn together in a frown and he was watching her curiously. Her eyes moved on their own accord down to his chest, where she could see just a hint of some black ink look out from where the material of his shirt didn't cover his skin. A thin line than disappeared underneath his shirt, hiding the rest of his tattoo from her eyes.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes again, she noticed that he was still just watching her, ever silent.

"For what?" he finally asked, his tone a little rough.

Beth could only shrug once more, not knowing herself what she was actually saying anymore. It just felt good to thank Daryl because even if they hadn't spoken much, she had at least gotten a small feeling of what kind of a person he was. She had seen right through him when he had tried to be vague and she supposed that on some level, she might be thanking him for _letting _her see through him.

"Being willing to talk to me," she replied slowly. "Clarifying that we weren't really friends before..." She watched something in his eyes flash for about a millisecond before a calm mask once again covered it. It was all the proof she had needed though. "Even if we weren't friends before," she started, "I would very much like for us to at least not ignore each other. We live here together and I-" She was forced to clear her throat a bit. "I would like to get to know you, if you're okay with that?"

She almost sighed when he didn't reply immediately. Before she could start thinking about how a person could be so incredibly quiet, always observing but almost never speaking, Daryl finally opened his mouth.

"Not sure if it's a good idea," he said and this time, she could hear the sincerity in his tone. Daryl seemed to truly believe that it would be better for her not to get to know him. "If it's what ya really want though, I s'pose I'm not gonna stop ya from talkin' to me," he continued and Beth couldn't help but grin at him.

"Really?" she beamed, feeling something flutter in her stomach. In Daryl's eyes, she noticed something too; something she wasn't sure she could even name.

"Mhm..." Daryl hummed in agreement. "Ya better go to bed though. Must be tired after runnin' in tha woods all day."

"Yeah, yeah," Beth agreed. She got the sudden urge to step forward and embrace him, but she wasn't willing to push her luck just yet. "Good night, Daryl," she smiled at him backing into her bedroom again slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

"G'night... _Beth._"

When he had spoken her name, it had been in a half-exhale. He sounded a bit breathy and looked as if he had never believed he would say her name ever again. Beth filed that away in her brain as even more proof that there was more going on than Daryl was letting on but she knew that it would probably be brought up sometime in the future.

She got into her room and closed her door, leaning against it with her eyes shut tightly.

Yeah, whatever it was that Daryl was keeping from her would have to come out sooner or later, but until then, she wasn't going to push him. If the man needed time to deal with her being alive again but was still agreeing to let her get to know him, she wouldn't pressure him.

After all, she had finally had a moment to speak to Daryl after trying to get him alone for four days, but unfortunately, their short conversations seemed to only have worked to make Beth even more curious about the man and the swirling feelings in her stomach that she got whenever he looked at her.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Okaaaay! First of all, I just wanna say that originally, I had intended for Daryl to stubbornly not say ANYTHING while Beth talked to him, up until that final conversation in the hallway, but then I just couldn't help myself, because I miss my babies and I needed them to talk, even if Beth was the one who led the conversation while Daryl was mostly just grunting and nodding! ^^<strong>

**Now, to the questions:**

**1) What did you think of the chapter in general?**

**2) What was your favorite part to read?**

**3) Would you like me to continue writing long chapters like this one, or would you want shorter ones?**

**It would mean a lot for me to know and please don't forget that your support is always appreciated and reviews are my life source and feed my fingers to type faster! But yeah, they won't be typing anything until Sunday, because exams... Yuck... **

**Leave a review and I'll love you forever!**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! :)**

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Hey guys! This is just a quick note, promise! :)**

**First off, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! It really means a lot to me to find out what you think and your support has been amazing so far (the story has PASSED 100 reviews and I'm not even at chapter 10 yet (which is a favorite of mine))! Secondly, I wanna say sorry for taking so long with the update, but school and real life are messing with me and I've been very busy... Although, I've come to the decision that I'm gonna try and keep the chapters about the same length they've been so far (between 7k and 9k) with the exception of one or two which might become longer... I'll also do my very best to give you guys weekly chapters, but I can't make promises to update EVERY week. In case I'm missing a week, just keep yourself updated on it on either my tumblr or my twitter! :)**

**Now, I'm putting up a small WARNING_ in this chapter for Merle-esque, racist words and maybe a kind of "scary" dream sequence, _but I don't think it's particularly scary at all...**

**And btw, I wanna know how you people feel about eventual, (possible but not guaranteed) smut?**

**Now, please enjoy! :) **

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 8**

Daryl knew that she was watching him.

She had been quietly observing him for five days already and he couldn't help but wait for the moment someone else caught onto her and asked him about it. What was he supposed to say when they asked him why Beth would sometimes come and sit on the grass next to him while he worked on the fences, doing nothing to help him, but only tilt her head curiously with a lazy smile on her face? Why hadn't he told her to just leave him alone yet?

He swallowed while he kept hammering on the fence, not daring to look back toward the porch, where he knew she sat.

Morgan's prediction had indeed been true. The day after Daryl and Beth had returned from the woods, Beth had woken up without her voice. Morgan had explained it to those of them who hadn't known about her condition, and Daryl had only clenched his fists when the image of Dawn shooting Beth from underneath her chin flashed in his mind.

The first day, Beth had stayed in her room. Daryl figured it had to do with her wanting to rest up her throat as much as possible, although he knew that Maggie and Carol had gone in to check on her a few times and bring her some soup that Carol had cooked up for the young blonde. On one side Daryl was a bit glad that Beth hadn't come out because he knew that he wouldn't have been able stop himself from checking on her, even if it was just from afar. On the other side though... Daryl found himself missing her more than he had ever missed her.

Now that she was alive and had broken down that wall that he had begun building around himself after they had been reunited, he was quickly finding himself addicted to just seeing her around the house. Each and every night that he went to bed he forced himself not to knock on her door, just to check on her, and he was thankful for the fact that he did have _some _self-control.

The second day, Beth came out of her room with a weary and tired smile on her face, but the first thing she did when she walked out of the house, was to promptly walk over to where he was cleaning his motorcycle and sit on the grass. At first he had panicked, glancing around only to see that Rick and the others hadn't even looked their way. He had glanced down at Beth who sat cross-legged, looking up at him with blinking, kind and all innocent eyes. Not saying anything, he had simply nodded curtly, acknowledging her presence before moving on to keep cleaning his bike.

It continued like that the following days. Sometimes she sat a bit closer, other times she sat on the porch. He overheard her trying to tell Tara and Rosita something one day, but her voice had been so raspy that the other two women had told her not to talk and that whatever it was that she was trying to say to them could wait until she got better. That night, Daryl had gone out for a smoke after dinner and Beth had followed him outside. He had been standing on the grass while she had leaned against one of the pillars on the porch, seeming to be taking him in. After a long silence, he had told her that she sounded like she had been chain-smoking since she was seven years old and had something stuck in her throat. He had been horrified at himself for saying it out loud, but Beth had only watched him for a moment before a grin had spread across her face, her pearly white teeth glistening in the moonlight as she shook her head at him. Daryl could have sworn that he had seen her cheeks turn a shade darker, however, at the time he told himself that it was simply his mind that was playing tricks on him. Beth had let out a raspy sound that sounded a lot like a half-choked chuckle and he hadn't been able to hide his own smirk before releasing the smoke he had drawn in, stealing one last glance at her before she headed inside.

-§-

On the fourth day of having lost her voice, Beth began to become restless. She was still able to work, although it frustrated her to no end that she couldn't communicate with the people around her. Maggie was worried about her but Beth made sure that Morgan told Maggie that this was normal for Beth, and it had been for these seven months. It didn't happen as frequently as it used to happen since she first got her voice back, just often enough for Beth and Morgan both to get used to it. Either way, when Glenn, Rick and Michonne went on a run together with Sasha who had complained about getting restless on the farm, they brought back two full bags of tea packages.

"I didn't know which flavor you liked, so I just took them all," Glenn had sheepishly told her while scratching the back of his head and Beth had embraced him so tightly that she was sure that she might have fractured one of his ribs. It didn't escape Beth's notice that Daryl had glanced over at them because of the exchange, although, he didn't seem bothered by it.

Beth wasn't really sure why she would think that he _would be _bothered, but it had kind of been the first thing that had crossed her mind when she had sensed his eyes on her. Still, during the days that she had lost her voice she had done her fair share of watching him too, so it wasn't like she wasn't giving him any attention.

Not that he was asking for it either.

_Maybe she was freaking him out by always being near him and watching him in silence?_

No. Daryl would tell Beth if she was bothering him in any way, she knew it in her gut. Even though he seemed to be the kind of man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, she was fairly sure that he would at least give her a hint or do something as rash as actually snapping at her to stay away. Until he did that, she would keep trying to show him that she really wanted to get to know him and that she enjoyed being close to him, even if they didn't talk.

Also, it wasn't as if she was actually clinging to him in a physical way. There was always space for him to more around and sometimes she even sat on the porch and watched him from afar. Then there was that one night that she had followed him outside when he had gone for a smoke and he had stayed silent before telling her that she sounded like someone who had been smoking their whole life, and for some reason, the thought alone (because she was sure she had never smoked a cigarette in her entire life) had made her laugh. It had been the first thing he had said to her since she had lost her voice and it had felt so absolutely _right_, as if it was something that Daryl _would _say to her and it shocked her a bit that she just knew it.

Nevertheless, Carol started making the tea for Beth and Beth drank three cups that first night, then two again on the fifth morning and she could already feel that scratchy feeling in her throat starting to disappear.

-§-

On the seventh morning Beth woke up curled up in her bed.

She blinked a couple of times, her eyes adjusting to the light in the room as she stretched a bit. Clearing her throat a couple of times, she could feel that the soreness had gone away, which meant that her voice was probably back again.

"Hmm... Good morning," she said to herself, smiling when there was no rasp whatsoever. Quickly she got out of bed and pulled on a hoodie over her pajama shirt, not bothering to change out of her flannel pajama pants. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before pulling up her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head and then hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Carol!" she beamed happily at the older woman who turned around and looked at her with a smile on her face.

"Beth, your voice is back," Carol acknowledged. "And good morning to you too."

"Nice to hear your voice again," Noah said from the table where he sat next to Morgan, looking over something.

"You sound a lot better, lil' Lady. Just don't forget to be careful for a couple of more days," Morgan said kindly.

"Maybe it's better if you keep drinking the tea too?" Carol suggested. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Sure," Beth agreed. "Have you seen Maggie around? I wanted to tell her that I was doing better so she'll stop worrying about me."

"She went on a run to the pharmacy with the other ladies," Morgan said. "The men are working on fixing that last part of the fence outside though..." Her friend trailed off and gave her a pointed look. She knew that Morgan noticed the way she was always close to Daryl, although he hadn't asked her about it yet. Beth was just waiting for her friend to confront her about what happened in the woods that day that she had gone after Daryl, but she wasn't sure what she would say to him if he did. Nothing _had _happened, after all. She and Daryl had just talked a bit, and even that had been after she had basically forced Daryl to do so. Then he had kept something from her and she had just gotten even more curious about him. She guessed that she could ask Maggie or Glenn or someone about it, but she didn't want to; she wanted to figure Daryl out herself, without any help from anyone else.

If Morgan ever decided to ask her, she figured she could tell him just that. She wasn't sure why she felt so drawn to Daryl, but it was nice to be around someone who didn't look at her as if she might break at any moment. The only thing she saw in Daryl's eyes from time to time was something akin to actual _pain_ which only convinced her even more that there was something that he was keeping from her.

The implication Morgan had made about her maybe wanting to know where the men were, was clearly a hint from him that he knew that she would be looking for Daryl next. Morgan knowing that she wanted to get closer to Daryl and get to know him wasn't exactly the worst thing that could happen to her, but the thought did make her blush a bit, because for seven months now she had only had Morgan to be around and the man had become somewhat of a father figure for her.

"Okay," was all Beth said before walking toward the door. She shot Morgan one last smile, telling him not to worry about her too much and he just shook his head at her.

"You're going out in you pajamas?" he called after her then but she just giggled.

"I'll be right back to change," she said. "I just need to do something first..."

She walked outside and scanned the area. The men were working on the fence that was the furthest away from the house and Beth quickly walked toward them. She could see Carl standing with his hands on his hips close to his dad while watching him work. Tyreese, Father Gabriel, Glenn and even Eugene were hammering on the wall while Abraham was keeping watch so that a walker wouldn't stumble out of nowhere and attack them. Ever since Daryl and Beth had returned that night they had been extra careful, in case another smaller group of walkers decided to walk their way. The risk was bigger when they worked on the far fences, since the sound of the hammers resonated through the woods. Beth knew that the pits they had dug though would keep at least some of the biters from getting too close to them.

Finally, she spotted Daryl and her breath caught in her throat a bit as she stopped walking. The front of his shirt was sweaty from having worked so hard on building the wall and once again, he was wearing a sleeveless shirt. The muscle in his arms flexed as he picked up a bottle of water and drank from it greedily, his eyes closed as he leaned his head back a bit. Beth could feel her mouth dropping open and she immediately wished that she had had some sort of camera or something to sneak a picture at him.

Then she felt absolutely horrified at herself for thinking such thoughts. She was sure that if having impure thoughts about a slightly older man was a capital offense, she would be rotting in jail by now. Though, when she thought about it, she wasn't really sure how old Daryl was, and besides, there was nothing going on between them, right? They were just on their way of becoming friends...or something. Although, to be quite honest, she couldn't remember if she had ever been particularly bothered by age differences in relationships, but she knew that she couldn't see anything wrong with a girl of her age getting together with someone like Daryl... _Hypothetically_.

She closed her mouth when she felt his eyes on her and blushed when she met them, an unspoken question in them as they roamed over her body.

"What are ya wearin'?" he asked her and a second later he looked like he had taken a huge bite out of a lemon. Clearly, he had not intended to ask her _that._

She wasn't bothered by his question though, instead she only smiled at him. "I wanted to tell ya that my voice is back," she said happily as she walked closer to him.

He lowered the bottle of water and nodded thoughtfully and she certainly didn't miss the way his eyes lit up a bit when he heard her speak. "I'm happy for ya," he grunted then and she could immediately see the switch flip inside of him. The walls that she had in silence been pulling down these last few days were suddenly all up again and he looked as if he couldn't wait to get her away from himself.

"I guess I'll see you later then," Beth sighed, feeling the disappointment inside of her.

"Mhm..." Daryl hummed quietly before turning his back to her, walking back to the fence and getting back to work. She saw the edge of another tattoo on his shoulder, sticking out from underneath his shirt and angel-winged vest.

As she walked back toward the farmhouse in silence, she couldn't help but wonder just how many tattoos the man had.

-§-

Daryl didn't know what was wrong with him, he just knew that something was very, _very _off.

For the first time in a long, long time, he just wasn't able to make up his mind about what to do and what not to do. He had thought that things were going well with him learning how to be close to Beth again, but that had been while she hadn't been able to speak. The second she had opened her mouth and spoken to him, he had felt a rush of happiness for the girl but also panicked a bit because her having her voice back meant that he could once again start asking him questions that he wasn't sure he could answer. When he had brushed her off he had immediately known that he had let her down once again because of how her face had fallen. He had gone back to working on the wall without sparing her as much as a second glance even though his heart had done that funny thing again where it kind of clenched uncomfortably in his chest. Beth hadn't come around to keep him company since then and that had been three days ago.

He found himself missing her presence, but he told himself that some distance between them was only for the better. Maybe if she finally saw him for what he really was, she would back off completely and realize that a piece of white, redneck trash like him wasn't worth her even sparing him a second glance? Then he could go back to watching over her from a distance, only to make sure that she was safe. She would never have to know that he kept an eye on her every time he saw her walking toward the edge of the forest with Rosita, Tara or Sasha and she most certainly would never have to know that he would gladly throw himself between her and a walker, if it ever came down to it.

He would give his life for her, as long as it meant that she would stay alive and he knew that some of the people in their group suspected it, although no one would ever say it out loud.

On some level he wished that he could tell Beth just how much she means to him, but he was afraid that it would only make her uncomfortable. Besides, what if she thought that he was some older creep and became scared of him or something? He wouldn't want that.

So yes, he would most certainly give his life for Beth Greene, but no, he did absolutely not want her to know about it.

-§-

_They were everywhere. She was surrounded._

_Clutching the gun in her hand, she aimed at the walkers that were coming at her, firing shot after shot. They fell slowly, one by one and her ears were ringing. The light was so bright that she could hardly see; not yet having gotten used to the bright light of the outside._

_She turned around and called for the person who was running behind her, telling them to hurry up because they needed to get out of there as fast as possible before more biters came. Then she felt a cold hand on her shoulder and she turned around, gasping when a rotting man surged forward, his teeth digging into her throat._

_She fell backwards, eyes wide, the dead man pushing her to the ground and she closed her eyes, preparing for the hard concrete to hit her back and for her heart to give out as she bled to death in a parking lot in a place that she could no longer remember._

_The pain never came though and she snapped her eyes open, only to be surrounded by complete darkness again. Lifting her hands, she came in contact with hard wood and instantly panic rose inside of her._

"_No, no, no..." she chanted to herself, eyes widening as she pushed against the wood. "No! Help me!" she screamed, tears springing to her eyes as dirt somehow made its way into the coffin. "Help me, please! God! I'm alive! I'm _alive!_" she continued to yell. The more she tried to raise her voice, the more dirt fell into the coffin. She could feel the air disappearing but she kept pushing against the lid. Unlike the last time, she couldn't get it open and then she felt it: a hand moving beside her. She glanced down and a blood curling scream escaped her throat just as two greyish, half-rotten arms came out of the dirt and wrapped around her throat._

_Choking, she tried to pry the hands away from herself, but they wouldn't budge. She could feel others clawing at her sides, tearing her skin open as she laid helpless in the coffin, still trying to scream out for help, scratching at the wood. Wet blood made its way down her arms as her fingernails fell off one by one._

_She kept screaming, until the snarls and growls and everything around her just _stopped.

-§-

Daryl had gone to bed a little earlier than usual so that he could wake up in time for his midnight watch shift.

"It's quiet," Michonne had told him when they had switched.

"It's always quiet 'til it isn't," he had replied and he could see in her eyes that she agreed with him. Out of everyone in the group, he knew that Michonne and Rick were probably the two who understood him the most. They had all been through a lot of course; every last one if them had lost someone they held dear, but Michonne and Rick were the once who understood him when he talked about things being too good to be true. The others had adapted well to the farm and at some times, Daryl almost thought that they believed that they would always be safe there. He, however, knew that it was only a matter of time before things went to shit again, so he would always be prepared for it. Michonne and Rick were the only ones besides him that were still always on high alert and prepared, insisting that they keep up the night watch as well as daily perimeter checks that Beth and Morgan had been doing since they found the farm. Everyone else in their group had followed their lead without protest, but Daryl knew that deep down they felt safe enough to say that they wouldn't need to check the pits every day.

When Glenn finally came to switch with Daryl, he patted the younger man on the shoulder before heading upstairs to the bathroom to clean up a bit. He hadn't taken a nice shower for three days now and after working hard all day, he needed it more than ever. Besides, he figured he owed it to himself to relax a bit.

Eugene had finally gotten the pan in the basement working and Abraham had gone out to the woods with Morgan the other day to get them firewood. Daryl reveled in the hot water, closing his eyes as he let it wash away all the dirt from the last couple of days. He didn't want to waste the water, but he figured he should probably try and suggest to the others that they somehow try to fill the farm's water supplies with water from a stream that wasn't too far away. Eugene could probably figure out a filtering system...

Daryl got out of the shower and dried himself off before pulling on the same dirty jeans he had been wearing earlier. He changed into a clean shirt though before putting the dirty one in the basket that Morgan had shown them. Wiping the fogged up mirror, he looked at himself in the mirror, noticing just how untrimmed his beard had gotten. He chuckled to himself, thinking how he might even rival Rick soon. Tomorrow he would get to shaving, or at least trimming it down a bit. He didn't like being completely clean shaved since he had gotten used to the facial hair by now. It would probably just feel weird, but he absolutely needed to get a haircut though, because the hair might bother him if he went on another hunt. He'd ask Carol to cut it tomorrow since she had the most experience with the scissors.

Just as he was about to walk out of the bathroom, he heard someone running in the hallway. He paused briefly before quietly turning the lock, opening the door. His ears picked up a sound coming from the end of the hallway where his room was, more specifically, Beth's room. The hallway was dark, but he could see a small flickering light illuminating the end of the hallway. He walked quietly toward his bedroom, listening intently. Voices could be heard from Beth's room, but they were hushed, so it was difficult to hear what the people were saying. When he got close enough, his heart dropped.

Muffled cries and quiet, choked sobs could be heard from the inside and he instantly recognized it as Beth, because he had heard her cry a few times himself when they had been alone. Without thinking, he approached the door, noting that it had indeed been left ajar. He glanced inside and saw Morgan sitting at the end of the bed, a candle lit on Beth's nightstand. Morgan was murmuring in a hushed tone while Beth sat curled up in the far corner of the bed, her head buried in her arms as her shoulders shook slightly. Her whimpers were quiet, but they resonated in Daryl's head, getting louder each second he stood watching them in silence.

"It's okay," Morgan whispered. "You're okay. You're safe." The man's hand seemed to be resting on Beth's foot, almost as if he didn't dare touching her.

"It was so real, Morgan," Beth whispered back. "I couldn't get out... I couldn't get out this time..." She sounded so small and vulnerable that all Daryl wanted to do was burst into the room and wrap her up in his arms. He would hold her all night long if that was what she needed from him. He'd do anything she asked him to do.

"It was just a dream, lil' Lady," Morgan replied. "Just a bad dream..."

Daryl watched as Beth suddenly surged forward, embracing Morgan tightly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. The man hugged her back, his hand rubbing small circles on her back as he murmured reassuring words to her that were so quiet that Daryl could no longer hear them. The sight of the two of them so close caused a feeling flare up inside of Daryl that he most certainly did not want to acknowledge. He took a step back and then hurried into his room, not wanting neither Beth nor Morgan to see him. They would immediately understand that he had been eavesdropping or at least that he had watched them in something that could only be described as an intimate moment between two friends...

Because that was what it was, wasn't it? Morgan and Beth were just friends, weren't they?

'_Ya think the ole' man is banging ya chick?_' Merle's voice snorted in his head as he forced himself to lay down on the bed. '_Ya jealous of tha' nigger for gettin__'_ _ta tap that before ya, Darylina?_'

Daryl grumbled to himself as he turned on his side and shut his eyes tightly, willing the image of Beth crying against Morgan's shoulder away. He wasn't jealous because he had no reason to be. Morgan and Beth weren't together. They had just been surviving together for seven months and established some kind of bond that he didn't even want to ask about.

Then, his mind went to the weeks that he and Beth had spent together alone. If they hadn't been separated, _they _might have been the ones who had survived together for seven months. What might have happened between them then, if he had ever given into those... _feelings_, that he had been starting to feel after such a short time of being only with Beth? Was it so absurd to think that Morgan might have developed the same feelings that he had gotten for Beth? After all, Morgan and Beth had been together for longer than Daryl and Beth were...

He really needed to stop thinking about it.

Tired and needing rest, he decided that if he was still thinking about it tomorrow, he would do something to maybe ease his mind a bit.

He just hoped that he wouldn't hate what he might learn.

-§-

"You have to be more sure of yourself when you throw them," Morgan told Carl as he picked up Beth's throwing knife that had ended up embedded into the grass below the tree where the target was put up.

"I was aiming for that root," Carl tried but Morgan only chuckled and shook his head at him.

"Sure you were," Noah rolled his eyes. "Is it my turn yet?" he then asked eagerly.

The two of them had been asking Morgan to teach them how to throw knives ever since they had seen Beth's skills and Morgan had finally gotten around to it.

"Oh, come on, Noah! I only got like one shot," Carl complained with a groan.

"Well, maybe you should just ask Beth to teach you since you clearly can't seem to get what Morgan is telling you to do," Noah said sarcastically. "This is how it's done," he said, taking the knife out of Carl's hands. Morgan crossed his eyes, watching their interactions in amusement as he came to stand by Michonne's side. The woman had been hanging around in the backyard, keeping an eye on things while also watching baby Judith.

Noah lifted his hand threw the knife. Morgan pressed his lips tightly together to keep a snort from escaping him when it missed the tree by a good couple of inches.

"Maybe you both need to learn from Beth," Michonne suggested. "Knife throwing surely isn't something you can just _learn_ magically. It takes time to master..."

Carl groaned, "Beth was a natural at it!"

"The lil' Lady had good aim before that," Morgan pointed out.

"So? I've got good aim too," Carl continued. "I'm good with a gun."

"Beth was good with other weapons as well," Morgan said calmly. "Give it time, lil' Grimes. Patience is a virtue, after all."

Carl rolled his eyes at Morgan's nickname for him, but Morgan could see that there was a small smile playing on the boy's lips. It seemed that the kid enjoyed being compared to his father and Morgan knew that it made Carl's day when Morgan listed the similarities between father and son. At times, it was a little hard for Morgan when he remembered Duane and the way his own son's life had ended. If only he had been more prepared... If he had only killed the monster his wife had become in time, his son might have been alive today. That would always be something that haunted him, no matter how many times Beth would tell him that it wasn't his fault.

Beth had been a saving grace for him.

Sure, he had gotten himself together enough to start looking for a sanctuary, but he hadn't exactly been all clear in the head then either. He had been grumpy as hell in the beginning of their friendship, but as time passed, Beth somehow made her way into his heart without even uttering a single word. The girl had had a way to express herself through gestures and those innocent, blue eyes of hers and soon, he had found himself becoming protective of the girl.

He had known that she had family somewhere, or at least people who had cared enough to actually take their time to bury her. He had thought that if he kept her safe and reunited her with her group, he might somehow make up for the way things had turned out with Duane. Maybe it would ease his mind to know that he had at least managed to save _someone_.

He started caring for the blonde and if anyone asked him today, he could without a doubt say that he loved her. She was like the daughter he had never had and the two of them were close. They understood each other perfectly without communicating through words and he understood how people like Maggie and Rick and everyone else in Rick's group got confused sometimes when they did so.

From what Morgan could see, Maggie was the one who was having the most trouble adjusting to him and Beth having bonded as they had. It was clear that the young woman couldn't understand that Morgan would do anything for Beth, just as the blonde would do anything for him as well. They had been surviving together and they had been _living _together in this farmhouse for months. They _knew _each other and they cared about each other. They had been a family before Morgan had come across them at that abandoned gas-station but Morgan understood that it would take time for the others to understand that.

Morgan watched as Noah and Carl began bickering about the knives again, just as someone behind him cleared their throat. He turned around, only to see that the archer, Daryl, was standing with his crossbow slung over his shoulders by the door.

"Morgan," he acknowledged with a curt nod and an even curter tone. The man looked at Michonne and Morgan noticed how his lips twitched upwards a bit at the sight of the baby girl who held her hands out for him to take her. "Not today, lil' Asskicker," Daryl said, his tone a lot softer when he spoke to little Judith. He turned back to Morgan, his eyes getting all serious again. "Would ya mind goin' on a perimeter check with me?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow at him, confused as to why the hunter suddenly seemed interested in approaching him. Daryl Dixon sure had been clear from the first time that they had met about what he thought about Morgan's sanity. Sure, the two of them hadn't interacted much since that first night when they had discussed how they were all connected to Beth, but Morgan was fairly sure that Daryl hadn't changed his opinion on him. At least the man hadn't made it clear to Morgan that he had, so until proven differently, Morgan would keep thinking that Daryl wasn't so fond of him.

"Sure," Morgan drawled before turning to Michonne. "Make sure the boys don't poke their eyes out with Beth's knife, will you?"

"Sure thing," Michonne nodded while Judith happily babbled on in baby gibberish.

Morgan walked over to the small table and grabbed his own knife for protection before sheathing it into his belt. Daryl turned his head and nodded toward the woods before starting to lead the way. Morgan knew that there was something going on, but he knew enough to not pressure the man into speaking to him. From what he had understood about Daryl, it was that the hunter was a complex person who liked his privacy. If Daryl wanted to talk about something, Morgan would have to wait for him to bring it up. Morgan almost paused when he suddenly recognized the similarity between Beth's behavior and Daryl's, but then he realized that it could just be a coincidence. Unless of course one thought about how Daryl and Beth had known each other for a good two years or so before Beth had been thought to have died.

Rick had told Morgan some parts of the story, but it had been difficult for the former deputy to talk about it. It was evident though that it had been hard on all of the people in their group that had known Beth, so Morgan hadn't pressured anyone into telling him more, even though he was a bit curious.

Morgan and Daryl walked together in the back woods for a while before they came across the first part of the fence. They followed it around the farmland, neither of them speaking even though Morgan could sense that Daryl was trying to figure out where to start. It took another ten minutes for Daryl to actually open his mouth and speak, and by then they had reached the furthest part of the fence, close to the pits.

"What happened last night?" Daryl asked as he stopped walking.

"What do you mean?" Morgan frowned. "You have to be a bit more specific."

He noticed how Daryl's fist clenched and his jaw tightened as he shifted from one foot to the other. "I heard her last night," Daryl clarified. "I heard her cryin'."

Morgan watched him silently for a beat. "What exactly do you want to know?" he asked, a frown still etched on his face. "Wasn't it clear what was going on?"

"She... She was cryin' and ya said somethin' about a dream?" Daryl said, but it came out more as a question. It was clear that the man was frustrated.

"She was havin' a panic attack," Morgan said calmly. "She gets 'em from time to time, when her nightmares get bad enough, I suppose."

"Nightmares...?" Daryl mumbled, almost to himself, but Morgan nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah. They've become less frequent though," he told the other man. "Usually she can handle them fine on her own, but sometimes she needs someone to reassure her that they were just dreams."

Daryl looked at the ground, "What does she dream 'bout?"

"Digging herself outta that grave," Morgan said bluntly. "Being buried, getting attacked by walkers... Everything, I suppose. The one where she gets buried is still the one that triggers the panic though. She dreams that she can't dig herself out and it suffocates her. That's why she can barely breathe when she wakes up..." Morgan waited for Daryl to show any kind of reaction to what he was being told, but the hunter didn't seem to want to give anything away. "Now, I don't know how much you heard last night and maybe I shouldn't even be tellin' you this since Beth sees it as a weakness, but I figured you deserved to know, considering how she keeps going to you and all that."

At those words Daryl snapped his head up and glared at Morgan. "What the hell are ya goin' on 'bout?" he demanded to know.

"It isn't any of my business what you and Beth do, but I ain't blind," Morgan said calmly. "You and she were _clearly _close before and Beth is picking up on it, which is why she's drawn to you."

"We weren't close," Daryl all but growled at him, stepping closer, trying to intimidate him, but Morgan stood his ground. "And yer right. It ain't none of yer business!"

Morgan lifted his hands in surrender. "Calm down, Dixon," he said.

"I ain't gonna calm down when yer just standin' there accusin' me of doin' shit with Beth!" Daryl snapped, anger and something else all over his face.

"I'm just tellin' you what I'm seeing," Morgan said. "Beth is like a daughter to me, so of course I'm gonna keep an eye on her. She hasn't said anything to me, but she doesn't have to, because I can _see _how she keeps going to you, even though she doesn't remember you." Daryl opened his mouth as if to speak, but then shut it quickly, as if not finding any words. "I'm not gonna pry and ask you to tell me why you've been pushing her away, but I'm just telling you want I see." Morgan sighed deeply before continuing in a softer tone, not wanting to spook the hunter with what he was about to say. "Finding someone in a world that has gone to shit is hard as it is and very, very rare," he said. "I'm not gonna stand here and make assumptions, but I just want to tell you that I can see that you're a good man and that you care for Beth and wouldn't let her get hurt. So I'm gonna trust that you'd protect her if it ever came down to it and that you'd do anything for her, which also includes staying away from her if that's what she chooses."

He could almost see the wheels turning in Daryl's mind as clear shock appeared on the hunter's face. Morgan could see that whatever Daryl had been expecting, it hadn't been this kind of conversation.

"Although I am gonna make one thing clear though," Morgan said, taking a step forward, narrowing his eyes at Daryl. "If you ever do anything to hurt the lil' Lady, I'm not gonna have to deal with you, because by then she probably would have kicked your ass already. I'm just warnin' you to be prepared, because she sure can get angry when something bothers her, so don't push her too far."

Daryl just stared at him for a moment, his eyebrows drawn together in thought.

"I wouldn't do anythin' to hurt her," he said after a moment. "She's better of without me though."

Then, Morgan saw something flicker in Daryl's eyes that he recognized. The pain that seemed to flash in the archer's eyes was something that Morgan had never thought he would see, mostly because he had never expected Daryl Dixon to even approach him. Yet, here they were and it appeared that Daryl had accidentally let one of his walls drop a bit, revealing that there was indeed something more going on, which Morgan had suspected.

When Morgan had told Daryl that he wasn't going to pry, he had meant it; he wouldn't do it, mainly out of respect for Beth's forgotten memories, but also out of respect for the person that the girl had become while she had been with him. He didn't want to know about Beth's past before the girl figured it out herself but he didn't think he would ever even begin to cover whatever relationship that Beth had had with Daryl before she had been shot.

Daryl sure as hell wasn't going to ever tell Morgan anything, but Morgan found himself hoping that the archer wouldn't keep pushing Beth away. Beth was a bright, young girl and Morgan was sure that the reason that she had been hanging around Daryl all week long was because she had felt that there was something more going on there and that Daryl was holding back on something.

Whatever it was, Morgan hoped that they found it in themselves to talk it over some time and maybe reconnect as friends, or whatever it was that they had been before.

"I ain't gonna judge you, Daryl Dixon," Morgan told him with finality. "As I said, I believe you're a good man, and clearly, Beth does too. She stays away from people she isn't comfortable around." Daryl didn't say anything though. He just kept looking at the ground as if thinking about Beth and everything he was holding in. "We should probably get back," Morgan said after a moment. "The lil' Lady is gonna go nuts if Noah and Carl ruin her knives. She loves those sharp things more than anything."

His comment made Daryl's mouth twitch again and the man looked up at him, meeting his eyes finally. He could see that Daryl was still thinking about something, but there was also something akin to acceptance in there.

_Huh_, Morgan thought to himself, when he realized that Daryl seemed to be able to communicate through his eyes just like Beth did too. Was that something the girl had picked up from the hunter as well or was it just another coincidental similarity between the two of them?

Neither Morgan nor Daryl said anything to the other as they walked back to the farmhouse, but there seemed to be a new understanding between them. One thing Morgan was sure of though: Daryl Dixon had a lot of thinking ahead of him to do, especially when it came to deciding whether or not he wanted Beth to know about the _real_ relationship they had had before she had gotten shot or not.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I hope you liked it! This chapter was kind of meant to give you a hint at what Beth's been dealing with the past seven months, as a consequence of her being shot. To summarize: Her voice is fucked up sometimes, she has nightmares about being buried alive and sometimes gets panic attacks... And now Daryl knows about the panic attacks and the nightmares, but Beth doesn't know that he knows and no one else knows either... Hmm... I'm leaving it at that! :) <strong>

**As usual, your reviews mean a lot, so please do leave one! :)**

**Thank you for reading and supporting me! :) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: Heeeey people! I'm back with another chapter of "Blink" (because the title is too damn long and I don't feel like writing it every time I refer to this story ^^)! I am working my butt off in school, but I just HAD to finish this chapter. I honestly wasn't planning on posting it until, like, Sunday or something, but then I got some lovely messages on tumblr from "hookandemmaforever**" **that honestly just made me so happy that I had to post! I'm a bit sick too, so it really worked as a pick-me-up and I wanted to say, that since I don't know where hookandemmaforever's sister (who the message was about) reads this story (here or on AO3), I'm gonna make a shout out to them both! So: SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE BOTH OF YOU FOR MAKING MY DAY! *MASSIVE HUGS***

**And a thank you to all the others who are following this story and keep reviewing! You guys mean everything to me! :)**

**Now, without prolonging this note... Please enjoy the next chapter of "Blink"! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 9**

"He's doing it again," Noah said quietly as he dug into the dirt in the backyard. Beth glanced up at him, huffing as she pushed away some hair that had fallen into her eyes.

"It's creepy, Noah," she told him, her voice just as low as his to make sure that Father Gabriel didn't hear her. "This last week he has kept turning up everywhere I go. He's there at, like, every corner I walk around... He just stares at me and it's starting to bother me."

Noah hummed in agreement, looking up at the priest who was situated on the stairs that led to the backyard as he watched Noah and Beth dig out the potatoes that Morgan had planted.

Beth and Morgan had found some potato seeds on one of their runs and tried planting them. They had all but forgotten about them until the day before when Carl had joked about missing french fries and Beth had remembered them. Morgan had then put Beth and Noah on the task of digging them out while Carol, Rick, Michonne and he went on a run together to the smaller convenient store where they had originally found the seeds in hope of finding more. Baby Judith was thus being watched by Maggie and Tara who were happy to have a day off from working around the house, while Sasha and Rosita were watching the perimeter with the men, who were chopping wood.

"He's smiling now too," Noah pointed out, causing Beth to groan.

"I swear to God, if he keeps doin' it I'm going to punch him," she complained.

"Maybe you should ask him what he fins so interesting about you?" Noah suggested. "In a nice tone, of course," he added when he saw the murderous look that Beth was sure she was sending his way.

"_Fine_," she said, standing up from where she was kneeling on the ground. She brushed the dirt off her hands against her pants that needed washing anyway and stalked over to Father Gabriel who looked up at her, immediately beaming. "May I help you with something, _Sir?_" Beth asked through gritted teeth. The man had been getting on her last nerve during the week that had passed.

So far, Beth had been getting along with everyone who had joined her and Morgan on the farm. She didn't interact very much with Abraham, who was always working around the farm or hanging around Rosita, but he seemed like a good enough man to her so she didn't really have a problem with his drawn back behavior. Either way, Tara had explained to Beth what Abraham had gone through and that neither he, nor Rosita, Eugene, Tara herself of Father Gabriel had actually known Beth before her untimely death. Beth got along fine with Rosita too though, but Eugene seemed to be a little odd to her. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, but she didn't exactly feel like trying to get to know the fake scientist. He too, just like Father Gabriel, sometimes looked her way in a strange way, but Beth was certain that Eugene simply wasn't good at interacting with people. She had told Tara once when the two of them had been alone in Beth's room that she might have been more open to getting to know him if she hadn't caught him staring at her ass while she had bent over to pick up a fork she had dropped during breakfast.

Then there was Father Gabriel, who was currently _beaming _up at her from where he sat. Beth tapped her foot against the ground and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well?" she asked again and the priest only shook his head.

"Just a wonderful day, is all," he said, his eyes twinkling strangely.

"If it's such a wonderful day, why don't you either help me and Noah, or go and help the other men with the wood?" Beth asked, frowning down at the man. All of the sudden, Father Gabriel stood up, towering over Beth who was forced to take step back when she realized how close he had gotten to her. She stared at him as he continued smiling, but then he must have noticed something off with her face because he frowned at her.

"Are you scared of me, Child?" he wondered, sounding as if the mere idea of Beth being scared by him frustrated him.

"I'm not scared," Beth hissed, not being able to help herself, "and I'm not a _child_!"

The reverend only chuckled then, "You're so young..."

"I'm nineteen," Beth said. "_At least_, considering that no one is really keeping track of the days anymore."

"Still, you're very young," Father Gabriel said.

"And you should stop saying that and instead come out and say what you really wanna say," Beth told him.

"Beth..." She felt Noah's hand come to rest on her shoulder, but Beth shrugged him off while narrowing her eyes at Father Gabriel.

"You don't know how much you mean to me," the pastor said and this time, even Noah tensed beside her.

"According to the information I've gotten, you didn't even know me before," Beth frowned. "How the hell can I mean anythin' to you?"

"It's what you _stand for, _Beth," Father Gabriel said, taking a step closer as he grabbed both of her arms. Beth froze as she stared at the man who continued to smile. "I was a man of God when this all began. I had devoted my life to learning the way of the Lord and these last few months, I had begun giving up on a miracle ever happening... Then we found _you_!" he laughed.

Beth pushed him back from herself, perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary, but Father Gabriel didn't seem like he had even noticed. "You're my miracle, Beth!"

Beth stared at him and her mouth fell open. What was she supposed to say to that? The man had clearly lost his mind or something but Beth wasn't sure that there was anything she could do about it. She looked over at Noah, who seemed just as disturbed as her.

"Uh, Father Gabriel," he began hesitantly, "maybe it would do you some good to go and rest a bit?"

Father Gabriel was breathing a little heavier than before, still looking at Beth as if she had just showed him the moon for the first time, but he nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm going to rest," he mumbled, his eyes finally moving away from Beth. He walked inside without another word and Beth only stared after him before turning back to Noah.

"Please tell me that you're just as freaked out as I am," she pleaded and Noah nodded.

"I've never seen him like that," Noah said thoughtfully. "He was always a little weird, but he had toned down on the prayers and all that these past few months. Maybe he's just confused and tired? I mean, you being alive after..." Noah cleared his throat. "It is kind of a miracle that you're alive, so maybe it pushed him to believe in God again?"

"He can believe in whatever the hell he wants, as long as he doesn't get in my space again," Beth said. "I haven't felt that uncomfortable in a while and even though I don't think he means me any harm, I don't want him near me when I'm alone. He's weird."

Noah chuckled at that. "Maybe you should tell Rick or someone about this? If he's really making you uncomfortable, I'm sure Rick will be able to tell him to tone it down a bit."

"He needs to turn it off _entirely_," Beth said. "Or else I'm not gonna be held responsible for punching him."

"Come on, Beth," Noah said, but Beth shook her head,

"If he's losing it, he's a liability for us all, Noah," she frowned. "What if he cracks or something and takes someone else with him when he falls? I'm not going to allow anyone to get hurt."

"We can watch out for ourselves, just as you can take care of yourself," Noah reminded her, but it didn't make Beth feel any better.

"Fine," she said, deciding to let it go for now. "Let's get those potatoes before Carol and the others come back. We can start dinner earlier."

Noah groaned, but agreed to help, nonetheless.

-§-

"I swear that Rick Grimes is just gonna keep findin' work for us to do while he goes off looking for seeds," Abraham complained as he swung his ax down on the log. "Didn't you guys tell me he turned into a farmer once?"

"Stop complainin' already," Daryl muttered, changing places with Tyreese who had been keeping watch with Sasha and Rosita until now, not really wanting to remember the peace that they had temporarily felt at the prison. It usually led him to thinking about the day the Governor showed up, Hershel's death and then his time alone with Beth, which he _really_ didn't want to think about anymore.

"Hey, it's my time to switch," Abraham grinned, but didn't move from his spot. Tyreese took Daryl's place as Daryl walked over to Carl, who offered him a bottle of water. Daryl ruffled his hair and the kid chuckled, making Daryl smirk in turn before he drank a bit of the water.

They had been working on getting more firewood stacked up, preparing for the winter when they probably wouldn't be able to go out as often as before. Morgan had talked to them about building a small shed in the backyard where they would be able to stock more wood or at least store meat they could smoke before it began snowing.

During the days that had passed he had buried himself in work around the farm, once again managing to stay away from Beth. The girl, however, hadn't tried to seek him out as she had before. Instead, she seemed to have accepted the fact that he needed more time to deal. With what, even he didn't know, but he was certain that Beth would never pressure him to get closer to her until he was sure he was ready.

Daryl's main problem was still dealing with the guilt he felt for the girl's fate. He knew that it weighed down on everyone in his group and family, but somehow they had all managed to push it down and away after they had realized that Beth was still very much alive. Daryl, however, was still plagued by the nightmares he had been having for over seven months and the images of Beth's pale face before he had closed the casket he had found her, moments before he had been the first to shovel dirt on top of it after lowering it into the hole he had dug. Every single time that he saw her, he didn't know whether he wanted to just disappear into thin air, or if he wanted to embrace her and never let her go.

Not only was it mentally conflicting, but Daryl sometimes found that it actually hurt him _physically_ as well. His heart felt as if it would implode on itself at times, while at others, it felt as if his chest was being torn wide open. There was no other way to explain it and Daryl had hoped that he would be able to distract himself by working around the house. Thus, unlike Abraham, he was rather grateful for the work that Rick appointed them.

"Yeah, Rick was a farmer all right," Sasha confirmed, "and a pretty good one at that. Or well, as good as an amateur can get after the world has gone to hell."

Abraham snorted, "How long does he really think this place will be safe for us? I don't mind havin' runnin' water and all, but we should start considerin' the possibility of a heard finding us."

"The lack of walkers in this area is weird," Rosita pointed out. "I mentioned it to Beth a while ago when we were checking the pits. The only walkers that have stumbled this way were the once that attacked Daryl and Beth in the woods."

"I'm tellin' ya, it's suspicious," Abraham said.

"Stop being so pessimistic, Abe," Sasha rolled her eyes. "Things are good for now and the defense system we've built will warn us in time to get away from the farm if something _were _to happen."

"_What_ defense system?" Abraham snorted. "We've dug some pits, fixed some fences and built a wall... That ain't gonna keep a bigger heard out!"

"An' you're gonna bring one down on us unless ya _shut the fuck up_," Daryl hissed at him. Abraham kicked the dirt by his feet and walked up to Daryl, shoving the ax into his hands.

"My turn for a break," he muttered, sitting down on the ground next to Carl without another word.

Daryl shook his head and looked at Carl who seemed to be a little annoyed as well, but the boy didn't say anything. Instead, he handed Abraham his bottle of water and looked back at Daryl with a shrug.

"We gotta stick together," Daryl said in a low voice. "If Rick thinks stayin' on this farm is the best thing for us, we're stayin' on the farm. I for sure ain't gonna leave unless _everyone_ decides it's the best thing to do."

Daryl went back to chopping firewood once he had spoken his mind, deciding that it wasn't worth getting into an argument with Abraham over something that wasn't important at the moment.

"You just don't wanna leave Blondie behind," Abraham snorted, making Daryl pause in his movements.

He knew it was true, although he hadn't known that he was being _that_ obvious about it. His cheeks got a bit warmer, but he kept his head down so that no one would see that he was actually blushing.

'_Fuckin' pussy...'_ Merle's voice broke into his mind. '_Blushin' like a fuckin' virgin, are ya? Da' woulda had a field day with this!'_

It wasn't worth commenting on, he thought, willing his brother's voice away as well as the embarrassment he had felt. There was nothing to be ashamed of, was there? The entire part of their group that had known Beth had felt the loss of the blonde; it wasn't just Daryl who had been in mourning. There was no reason for him to be embarrassed about not wanting to leave Beth behind again.

"Well, I'm not leaving unless Beth is leaving either," Sasha said, shooting a glare at Abraham. Daryl glanced up at the young woman who met his eyes before offering him a barely visible nod that he didn't return. Although, he was sure that she could see the gratitude in his eyes over the fact that she had stood up for him, proving that they actually were a part of the same family.

"Point still stands," Abraham said, but Daryl yet again decided that it was better not to encourage an argument. Instead, he continued chopping wood.

-§-

Later that evening Beth sat in her room, doodling on one of the pages of her journal. They had all eaten dinner together, the potatoes being a happy surprise for everyone in the group. Beth and Noah had used some of the spices that they had had in the kitchen, and while it may not have been a gourmet dinner, everyone had appreciated the taste of the stew that hadn't actually been horrible. They had used up the meat from the rabbits that Daryl had caught and Carol had made sure to tell Daryl that he would probably need to go hunting again soon. The man had just grunted in reply while he hurriedly ate his portion of stew but Beth could have sworn that he had glanced her way when Carol had spoken to him about it.

The trip to the store had been a success too since Rick, Carol, Michonne and Morgan had brought back every type of vegetable seed they had been able to find which they would probably do an inventory of in the next couple of days, as well as plan out where it would be best to plant some of them. However, since winter was approaching, they wouldn't be able to plant all of them and Carl had shared that his father probably remembered some of the things he had learned about farming since the Turn started.

Father Gabriel hadn't been present at dinner, which Beth was thankful for. Instead, the man had been holed up in his room, reading passages from his Bible that he apparently hadn't looked at for months. Beth realized that her relief at not having the strange reverend at dinner must have shown on her face when Tara had mentioned that father Gabriel wouldn't be joining them because of the way Morgan had looked at her. Her sister as well seemed to have picked up on Beth's attitude toward the pastor, but said nothing.

When they had all eaten, Beth had excused herself and gone to her room for some privacy. Father Gabriel apparently wasn't the only man in the house who was acting strange around her. The entire time during dinner, Beth had felt the fake scientist's eyes on her, sneaking glances when he thought that no one was looking. The attention was strange to Beth and she couldn't help but try and remember what Tara had told her about Eugene.

She hadn't known the man before she had been shot, so there was no reason for him to be looking at her the way he was. Or at least Beth didn't think there was. She was certain that she wouldn't even have noticed the attention before, but during the seven months that she had been alone with Morgan, she had picked up on minding her surroundings and always being on alert. Sometimes, she wondered whether it had been something she had always done, but then she figured that considering the fact that she had gotten _shot_ and had been presumed dead by her family, she must not have been very mindful of things around her.

Not that she knew exactly _how_ she had gotten shot, since she hadn't asked anyone about it. She wasn't sure that she was ready to find out, nor if she ever would be, and she figured that the people in her group wouldn't be very willing to tell the story either.

So no; it didn't make sense to her that Eugene would suddenly start paying so much attention to her. Although, she presumed that he might have been doing so all along, and she simply hadn't noticed because she had been so busy with trying to figure out Daryl, who had only looked at her _once _during dinner.

Not that she was counting or anything.

A knock sounded against her door and Beth looked up. "Who is it?" she called out.

"Maggie," her sister replied. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Beth drawled her own answer and Maggie didn't wait a second to open the door. She stepped inside and then closed the door after herself before walking over to Beth's bed.

"You're writing?" Maggie wondered with a quirked eyebrow.

"Mhm..." Beth hummed, putting the journal away. "You don't look very surprised by that," she then pointed out.

"You used to write all the time," Maggie said. "Mind if I sit?"

"Would you like to maybe lay down?" Beth countered, watching as another small smile appeared on her sister's face. Maggie motioned for Beth to move over and then lowered herself on the bed. Beth leaned back and laid down next to her sister as they both stared up at the ceiling in silence.

"You gonna tell me what that look was all about at dinner?" Maggie asked after a while.

"It was nothin'," Beth said. "Father Gabriel was just acting weird today and I was kinda glad that he wasn't at dinner..."

"Did he do something to you?"

Beth could literally _hear _the frown in Maggie's tone. She sighed, "No, he was just weird. Started rambling on and on about me being alive was some kind of sign from God that things were going to get better. Made me uncomfortable."

"You being alive sure is a miracle, Beth," Maggie said solemnly. "Though I doubt it has anything to do with God..."

Beth shifted, turning on her side so that she could look at her sister. "Do you still believe in God? Have you ever believed in him?"she wondered. Maggie remained silent, but Beth saw something close to pain pass over the brunette's face. "Sorry," Beth said. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," Maggie said quietly. "I was just thinking... On whether I still believe or not."

"Morgan once told me that it was important for me to hold onto faith," Beth told her. "Maybe that, him pushing me to hold onto something, is what kept me alive all this time for us to be reunited?" She fiddled with the cross that still hung from her wrist, covering the scar there.

"Maybe," Maggie agreed. "You and Morgan though... He cares about you."

"I care about him too," Beth said. She was aware that Maggie and Morgan had clashed a few times since Rick and the others came to the farm and she could understand that her sister was having a difficult time adjusting to her being different.

"I've noticed," Maggie said calmly. "You two took care of each other for months, lived together and survived together."

"Not necessarily in that order though," Beth tried to joke.

"Maybe you even loved each other..." Maggie mumbled absentmindedly. Beth froze for a second, looking at her sister who still seemed lost in thought. Was she still talking about Beth and Morgan? Yes, she loved Morgan like a father, but for some reason, it felt like Maggie's mind had traveled to another place entirely.

"I do love Morgan," Beth told her, trying to get her attention again. "He loves me too."

"Like a daughter, right?" Maggie asked for confirmation, looking back at Beth.

Beth's fingers moved over her bracelet.

Of course Morgan only loved her as a daughter, but could she really say that to Maggie without potentially hurting her? Beth knew that Maggie still remembered their real parents, even though Beth's memory of them had been wiped clean. Would it hurt Maggie to know that Beth saw Morgan as a father and that he was the only fatherly figure that she could ever remember having in her life?

"Yeah," Beth finally said, turning to lay down on her back again.

"I understood as much," Maggie said. "You don't have anything to feel guilty about, Beth. I'm not judging you because I suppose it's perfectly normal for him to feel that way about you and for you to actually feel like you're his daughter too." Beth didn't say anything, but she was grateful for Maggie's understanding. Her sister seemed to sense that that particular conversation was over, so she changed the subject, "Is something else bothering you? Something that I might need to know about?"

_Daryl_, Beth thought to herself, but instead, she said, "Eugene."

"What about Eugene?" Maggie asked.

"He was looking at me strangely during dinner," Beth admitted. "Why am I just now noticing the weird looks everyone keep sending me?"

"Not everyone looks at you weirdly," Maggie chuckled.

"Yeah, okay," Beth snorted. "Maybe it's just the priest and the scientist then."

"Eugene is harmless," Maggie insisted. "I've known him a little bit longer than I've known Gabriel, but I'm sure that he's just awkward around you because you're pretty." Maggie nudged her side and Beth felt her cheeks get warm.

"Shut up," she nudged Maggie back. "I have scars all over my face and I'm suffering from both memory loss and voice control issues. Don't see what's attractive about that."

"Don't," Maggie said, looking over at her. "You're absolutely stunning, Beth. Scars and all. You survived everything this awful world threw at you and that makes you even a thousand times more beautiful. If Eugene, or any guy really, likes you, it's because you deserve to be liked. Hell, I don't think anyone has ever been able to _dislike_ you!"

That certainly didn't make Beth blush any less, but she took the compliment (It was a compliment, right?) nonetheless. The small knowledge Maggie had shared about Beth's life before her accident, made Beth a bit more curious though. She recalled wondering about the man she had shared the candle lit dinner with and that bubbly feeling she had felt when she had gotten a small flash of the memory.

"Did I ever have a boyfriend?" Beth blurted out before she could stop herself. When Maggie tensed a bit by her side, Beth felt herself blushing even more furiously. She was glad that the small light that she had in her room wasn't burning too bright, because it would have made her awkwardness known even more.

"Yeah, you did," Maggie finally said. "Two since this all started, but I don't think it was very serious... You were just sixteen when you were with the first one, close to eighteen with the second."

"They're dead," Beth said, knowing there was no question about it. Maggie nodded and Beth sighed, "Am I awful for saying that I'm happy that I don't remember them dying? I wish I could remember the good things about them, but knowing that I might have seen them die..."

"You didn't see them die," Maggie told her. "You weren't there when they died, but I know that you were sad about it afterward."

"What were their names?" Beth asked, relieved that they could talk about it without being awkward. She supposed that this was the way sisters were supposed to behave around each other. They were supposed to lay in bed together, talking about boys and laughing about things that they recalled doing when they were younger.

Except they were talking about boys that were dead now, and Beth couldn't remember where she had been seven months ago, much less what she had or hadn't done when she had been younger.

"Jimmy," Maggie said, "and Zach."

Beth tried to think about the names, wanting to remember at least something about them, but her mind was completely emptied.

"They were nice kids," Maggie said. "They were both good to you."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm..." Maggie hummed, a small smile appearing on her face. "I would tell you something, but I really don't want to freak you out," she admitted.

"What?" Beth frowned, but Maggie only smiled at her. "Maggie!" Beth exclaimed, giggling a bit herself. "Tell me, please?"

"It's kind of inappropriate," Maggie told her and Beth immediately froze.

Inappropriate? Was Maggie talking about...?

"Is it about sex?" Beth asked bluntly and Maggie's eyes widened a little.

"I think this is the first time you've said the word 'sex' without blushing when talking to me," Maggie mused, that bemused grin once again spreading across her face.

"So it is about sex then," Beth concluded. "What? Are you gonna tell me that I'm still a virgin, despite having had two boyfriends since the apocalypse started?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Maggie said, watching Beth almost nervously, as if waiting for her to react.

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Great," she said. "So apparently, I'm _not_ a virgin, but I can't remember having sex or what it even feels like, which kind of _does_ make me a virgin... At least mentally."

Maggie pursed her lips, clearly not knowing how to react to Beth's statement, but when Beth grinned at her sister, Maggie let out a low chuckle herself.

"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing," Beth said, nudging Maggie again. "Will you at least tell me who it was?"

"Zach," Maggie told her. "You were very nervous about it and came to talk to me beforehand. It was very sweet actually." Maggie's eyes twinkled a bit, it seemed. "You're different compared to how you were back then."

"Oh?" Beth watched her, leaving her unspoken question hang.

"I loved you before, Beth and I still love you now," Maggie told her confidently. "No matter how much you may have changed, you're still my sister and you've grown into such a wonderful young woman that-" Maggie's voice broke and she shook her head, sitting up on the bed before wiping her tears away. Beth sat up instantly, embracing her sister from behind on pure instinct. "I'm just so proud of you," Maggie said, her voice still thick with tears as she took a hold of Beth's hands that were clasped in front of her. She pressed a light kiss to Beth's hands and hung her head as she cried silently. "I love you, Beth," she said and Beth only held her tighter.

"I love you too, Maggie," Beth mumbled into her shoulder, realizing quickly that that was one thing she was a hundred percent sure of.

-§-

The next day, Daryl stood by his motorcycle, cleaning it while the others around him relaxed on the porch. Rick was sitting with Judith in his lap, playing with the little girl, allowing her to stand from time to time so that she could practice walking. Carl, Michonne, Noah and Carol were playing cards together, since they had found a couple of decks down in a box in the basement. Abraham had suggested that they all play poker later to make the time pass since Rick had given them all a day off.

Daryl didn't mind the fact that they had all given Rick the power of having the last word. He knew that deep down Rick himself didn't necessarily _want _that power, or the responsibility of being the leader, but the reason that they had given it to him was because they all trusted him. Another thing Daryl was aware of though, was that Rick would never actually abuse that power and before he made his decisions, he would always ask the people who had been in the prison council before they had lost their home there.

The others in the group hadn't objected to Rick's leadership either, no one except Michonne. Although, technically, Michonne hadn't really questioned his leadership role as much as pointed out that he was looking for the wrong thing. During an argument between the two of them, Michonne had told Rick that he was looking for ways for them all to survive, but that he was forgetting that they also needed to _live_. Daryl had at the time not been much for living but he hadn't been much for surviving either. He had only kept going for the sake of the group, because he knew that for some reason, they would not be able to handle losing him too so soon after Beth. He had pushed through and protected the people in the group the best he could, despite distancing himself from them. When he thought back to the way he had been, he had barely recognized himself. He had been in such a vulnerable state and he had actually _allowed_ people to see him break down, something that he would never normally have allowed.

The comments that Abraham had shot at him the day before had been based in the other man's own observations. It wasn't a secret how hard Daryl had taken the loss of Beth, but he had gotten used to no one actually mentioning it anymore, so he had definitely not been expecting Abraham to use it in such an argumentative context. Daryl was tired of always being protective and on the offense, so he had let Abraham's snide remarks slide, deciding to be the better man who didn't get into petty arguments that wouldn't lead anywhere. The feelings he may or may not have for Beth were his own and no one else needed to know about them and he had no intention of making a spectacle out of them just because Abraham was in one of his moods.

"I can't believe I lost again! You're probably cheating," Carl accused Michonne who only chuckled before putting down her cards, shuffling them together with the rest of the deck.

"You have to learn how to play properly if you're gonna play with us later," Michonne said. "That means you gotta learn how to spot the _real_ cheaters."

"So you are cheating?" Carl frowned, looking at Noah and Carol for help, but the two of them only snickered and shrugged.

"Try to make out when I am and when I'm not," Michonne told him cryptically, making Daryl snort loudly. Michonne looked over at him and smirked back, tipping her head forward a little before dealing the cards again.

After another game was played between the smaller group when Carl finally decided that there was no point in playing with them because they had all ganged up against him. Instead, the kid walked over to Daryl and asked if he could help him clean the bike. Daryl threw a rag at him in reply and Carl immediately picked up on working on it.

"I ain't ever gonna play poker with you guys," Carl muttered. "Though, I'll be rooting for you, Daryl. I bet ya can kick _Michonne's_ ass at it!" he said loudly so that Michonne would hear him, but the woman didn't even raise her head from the cards in her hands.

"Daryl might _wish _that he can beat me," she said, switching the cards around in her hands, "but there's no way he's gonna do it."

"We'll see 'bout that," Daryl replied calmly, sending a wink at Carl who grinned back.

"Who's gonna be making dinner today?" Carl then asked, looking around them all.

"Maggie offered to cook," Rick replied, holding Judith up as the toddler gurgled happily. "She and Glenn are in the kitchen."

"They're gonna burn dinner," Daryl pointed out.

"At least then we'll have a laugh," Carol shrugged before looking around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Gabe's in his room, reading," Carl said. "I think Abraham, Rosita, Sasha, Ty and Tara went on a walk with Morgan who wanted to show them around now that they had some free time... Uh... Beth's probably in the backyard practicin' with her knives or somethin'..."

"Eugene?" Carol frowned.

"Still creeping on Beth, I'm guessing," Carl shrugged.

Daryl paused, turning sharply to look at the kid. "What?" he frowned, looking up at Carol too who was looking equally confused.

"Yeah," Carl said. "Haven't you guys noticed how he's always looking at her from afar?"

Daryl's brows knitted together even more, if possible. "No..."

Then he thought back to the last couple of days and remembered that one time that he had looked over at Beth and seen her hurry inside, but not before shooting something similar to a glare behind her at someone. When Daryl had looked in the direction she had, he had seen the scientist looking a bit dazed while Tara was trying to explain something to him.

"He's not doin' anythin' to her, is he?" Daryl all but growled, feeling anger bubble inside of him.

"Nah," Carl shook his head. "He just looks at her... It's weird, but Eugene is weird... And harmless, right?"

Daryl wanted to tell Carl that no man was to be trusted around someone as beautiful as Beth, but he wasn't sure that he could say it without having anyone misinterpret (or completely interpret it correctly) what he was saying.

"You know," Noah said, "Abe told me something that was a bit weird once... Remember when we found that crate of wine in that motel we stayed at for a few days?"

Daryl remembered it all right. Glenn and Tyreese had found a box of red wine and some of them had been a little too happy to drink it. Once Judith had been put to bed, everyone else had pretty much gone to rest too, although Abraham, Rosita, Noah, Tyreese and Sasha had stayed awake for a while longer. Daryl had isolated himself and kept watch instead, because of reasons they all knew, but never spoke of.

"Yeah, I remember," Daryl said, turning his attention to the younger man. "What did he tell ya?" Noah looked at Carl briefly, as if he wasn't sure he should say something in front of him. "Will ya just spit it out, Noah?"

"Well... It's really awkward actually... I guess, Eugene kind of had a thing for watching Abe and Rosita... Ya know..." Noah fumbled with the words. Carllet out a tiny snicker and then quickly covered his mouth, looking over at Daryl and then his father who gave him a disapproving look.

Daryl narrowed his eyes, "What do ya mean, '_ya know_'?"

"You know," Noah drawled, waving his hand in the air a bit even though they all knew that Daryl had gotten it the first time around.

'_Ya lettin' that perve near Blondie, eh?'_

Fuck.

Without thinking, Daryl dropped his rag onto the bike, telling Carl to keep up the cleaning. He met Rick's eyes briefly, and his friend shot him a worried look before nodding curtly, knowing that Daryl wouldn't actually do anything to hurt Eugene...unless the man had done something to Beth that is.

He stormed into the house and headed for the back door, knowing it was closer, passing Maggie and Glenn in the kitchen who were laughing at something, not even noticing him. Even if Beth wasn't actively seeking out him anymore, he quickly realized that this was the first time that he was approaching her all on his own.

For some reason he wondered, whether that might have been Beth's purpose with staying away all along, almost as if she had known that he wouldn't be able to keep away from her for too long.

-§-

Beth threw the knife and missed the target by an inch as the knife embedded itself in the tree. She glared at it as if it had somehow personally offended her and flexed her fingers before reaching for another knife in her belt. Stopping for a mere second, she sensed him behind her and almost groaned. She knew that Maggie had told her that Eugene was harmless and Beth was sure that the man actually didn't want to scare her or anything, but he was making her uncomfortable with all the looks he kept sending her way.

Why did she suddenly start noticing the unwanted attention she got from both Father Gabriel and Eugene? She had asked herself this several times she began seeing the change in their behavior toward her.

"Are you just going to stand there in the shadows or are you actually going to talk to me sometime?" Beth asked out loud, twisting her body as she threw the knife in Eugene's direction. It dug into the house wall, a few inches away from Eugene's face that was covered in shock, his eyes wide as he stared at her in something that looked like a mix of fright and awe.

She was tired of being quiet around them and since she had already lost it once with Father Gabriel, she figured she might as well confront Eugene too. Although, now that she saw how scared he actually looked, she wondered whether that had been a mistake.

"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly. "Couldn't help myself."

"S'okay," Eugene said, removing the knife from the wall before walking toward her. Beth waited for him to approach, not wanting to scare him away. When he stood close enough, he offered her the knife and she took it with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said, waiting for him to say something, but he just stared. After a moment, it was starting to get both uncomfortable and annoying and Beth suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Was there anythin' you wanted to say?" she asked.

A small blush spread across Eugene's cheeks and he looked down at the ground, shifting from one foot to the other. He mumbled something incoherently and Beth leaned a bit closer. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

Eugene's head suddenly snapped up and Beth was forced to take a step back, having completely missed how close they were standing. She felt as if her personal space had been invaded as Eugene looked at her.

"I just wanted to say that you're really pretty," he said, blushing even more furiously.

Beth's mouth dropped open; she had not been expecting that. "Uh, thank you, I guess?" she replied, although it came out as more of a question. She was flattered that Eugene found her attractive, but truth was, she didn't see him that way. Of course, she might be reading too much into it and maybe he just found her pretty, but wasn't interested in her in that way... Although, they were living in a time that could be considered the end of the World, and there weren't many options out there...

"I'm sorry if I've made ya uncomfortable," Eugene said. "I just think that honesty is the best way to go around these days..."

Beth didn't say anything, instead she just took another small step back before turning around and putting her knives back in their case. She would have to clean them later.

"I know they've probably told ya that I lied about havin' a cure," Eugene said. "I've done my best to make up for my past mistakes." Beth nodded silently, but didn't look up at him. "I hope you're not gonna judge me based on my past."

"I'm not in the right position to judge anyone about their past when I can't even remember it," Beth told him, turning around again to face him. "From what I understand, you and I have never met before, which means that I won't be judging you. I would however appreciate it if you stopped following me around and watching me. No offense, but it's kinda creepy."

Eugene nodded and offered her a small smile, "Sorry. I'm not really good with communicating with people."

"I got it," Beth said. "Just... Don't do it again, okay?" He nodded again and Beth grabbed her knife case. "Good, I'm gonna go put these away and you should go check what the others are up to–" Beth let out a small gasp as she turned around and connected with a solid chest. The man she had walked right into softly grabbed her elbows to steady her as her knife case fell to the ground. She blinked a couple of times and looked up, staring with wide eyes into pools of blue.

"Daryl..." she whispered, without actually meaning to and the storm that seemed to be raging in his eyes seemed to calm a bit as he focused on her. There was a sudden tightness in her chest that she didn't understand but before she had the chance to even start comprehending why her body was reacting the way it was in the proximity of the hunter, his gaze had moved away from hers and his face had hardened.

"He botherin' ya?" Daryl asked, not looking down at her, but he hadn't really let go of her elbows either. She was still close to him, her hands clutching his shirt as she turned her head and glanced at Eugene who seemed to have paled a bit.

"We were just talkin'," Beth told the man that still seemed intent to shoot arrows at Eugene with his eyes. "Everythin' is fine. You startled me," she said, earning his attention back immediately. For a second, his thumb moved across the skin of her arm before he seemed to realize what he was doing, and he abruptly let go of her. Beth stumbled back a bit, breathing out and looked at Daryl, determined to look unfazed, despite her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

"Ya better run off, Eugene," Daryl told the other man. "I ever hear that ya've been followin' her 'round again, you're gonna have to deal with me."

Beth looked back at Eugene, who nodded wildly and then hurried inside through the door that was still open. She realized that Daryl must have come through the back door, but she had been too distracted to actually hear him coming. Once again, she faced Daryl, who was looking like he regretted ever having said anything.

The way he had spoken to Eugene, the fierceness in his tone... That wasn't the way someone spoke when they protected someone they hadn't been close to before. His action and his tone only proved to Beth even more that there was something that Daryl was keeping from her and it made her a thousand times more curious about the man.

"Thank you," Beth decided to say.

"I didn't do anythin'," Daryl muttered, causing Beth to narrow her eyes a bit.

"You were looking out for me," she pointed out. "I had it under control, but you did anyway. That's what I'm thanking you for."

He wasn't looking away from her, which Beth saw as a positive thing. Maybe he was finally ready to start letting her in a bit more?

"I guess I was," he finally said, but it was so low that she had barely heard him. "Lookin' out for ya, even if ya were doin' fine without me..." he trailed off and Beth took a small step forward.

"Though, isn't it a bit strange?" she asked, gathering her courage for what she was going to say.

"What?" Daryl frowned down at her.

Beth inhaled and looked at him, "That you're looking out for me, even though you told me that we weren't close before? I don't see why you would bother protecting someone you never knew very well, if you know that they can protect themselves."

Daryl only looked at her with a blank face, blinking a few times. "Yeah," he finally drawled. "That is strange," he agreed. His eyes met hers one final time before he turned around and started walking toward the door again; away from Beth.

"You are a strange man, Mr. Dixon!" Beth called after him, not being able to help herself. She watched as Daryl faltered on one of the steps, grabbing the railing so that he wouldn't actually fall. Slowly, he turned around and looked at her, a curious look on his face. For a moment, he looked as if he was going to say something to her, but he shook his head at himself and walked inside instead.

Beth looked after him, breathing out through her nose to calm her nerves a bit. The man was infuriating and _clearly _an expert at leaving Beth both confused and curious to know more about him.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Poor Beth... Always being followed around by strange people... Although, Eugene isn't as strange as Father Gabriel (who is clearly losing it a bit, don't ya think?)... Don't be mad at Eugene though! He's just awkward but I promise that he won't be following Beth around any more! Especially not after the death glare he got from a certain hunter...<strong>

**Oh, and Abraham is a bit rough around the edges, isn't he? I have some plans for him as well... Trust me on this! ;)**

**Maggie and Beth sisterly bonding! And Maggie telling Beth about her past boyfriends and *cough* informing her of the fact that Beth ISN'T a virgin. If some of you don't agree, I'm just gonna explain it by saying that ever since I saw Beth kiss Zach in 4x01, I couldn't help but feel like she "certainly knew how to kiss" (as I think Daryl might have reflected on in some earlier chapters...). Either way, I also read on the TWD wikia that Hershel once mentioned having to chase Beth around on the farm while she was with Jimmy to keep her from "doing stuff" and thus, I decided, that at least in this story, Beth Greene isn't a virgin. Hope you can accept that! :)**

**Either way, it would make me very happy to know what you thought about the chapter since it took me AGES to put it up. Google chrome crashed on my computer and I was forced to use Internet Explorer *shudder* (no offense to anyone who uses IE, I just prefer chrome!).**

**Once again, thank you for the massive support! Leave a review and I'll try to finish chapter 10 (which is a favorite of mine because of reasons!) sooner! :)**

**Have a nice weekend everyone! xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Note: Thank you so much for all the love I've gotten so far on this story! It has already passed 160 reviews here on fanfiction and I honestly couldn't be happier! That is the main reason that I managed to finish this chapter so quickly, and I gotta say, I have chapter 11 ready too, so depending on the amount of reviews, I might post it this Sunday! ;)**

**As you all know, this one is one of my favorites, mainly for the ending scene, so I really hope that you'll like it! Another favorite of mine is chapter 12, which is currently being written. I just wanted to get that out there! ;)**

**Now, please enjoy! :)**

**P.S. This is kind of a Daryl-centered chapter. There will be no POV changes here! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 10**

_He watched the little girl as she ran to the swing set in the garden, dark blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders as giggles filled the late fall air. Leaves, yellow and red, were falling slowly around them every time the wind picked up, caressing his cheeks with a cold that told him that winter was coming closer._

"_Daddy!" the little girl giggled as she tried to climb the swing; she couldn't be more than three or four years old, but she barely reached the swing because it had been swung around once so that it would be higher up from the ground._

_Daryl watched her confusedly, looking around, trying to spot the person the little blonde was looking for. He realized that he was alone with her in the garden and the little girl frowned at him, patting the swing._

"_Help, Daddy!" she called again, this time with eyebrows knitted together and a small pout. Her blue eyes were a shade that he had only seen once before in his life and for a second, it took his breath away._

"_Daryl? Why aren't you helping her?" someone said behind him and he stood frozen as the person walked past him. As the woman walked by him, she put her hand on his arm before moving to the little girl by the swing._

"_Mommy!" the girl squealed, lifting her arms up as the woman lifted her up on the swing before zipping up the little girl's jacket better._

"_There ya go," the woman said softly, kissing the little girl on the forehead as she began pushing the swing. "Hold on tight, lil' Lady."_

_Daryl stared at the scene in front of him as the young woman looked up, her own blonde locks moving with the wind. She was smiling at him and he stood frozen as he began recognizing her features. There was a scar on her left cheek and another one above her right eyebrow, on her forehead. Daryl swallowed thickly as her blue eyes, irises colored the exact same cerulean as the little girl's, moved to meet his._

"Beth_," he breathed out, his feet moving of their own accord as he took a step toward her._

"_What?" the slightly older version of Beth asked, a small grin on her face. "Why are ya starin' at me?" He stood there, just looking at her and the smile gracing her face turned into a small smile as she looked down at the little girl. "I think your Dad's havin' a meltdown, Sweetheart."_

_His skin felt as if it had suddenly been set ablaze. Had Beth just referred to _him_ as that sweet little girl's father? The same little girl who had just called Beth her 'Mommy'? He couldn't believe what he was seeing. _

_It couldn't be real._

_He took a few more hesitant steps toward them before circling around the swing set to stand next to Beth. He looked at her from the side and she turned, looking right back at him. Once again, a smile spread across her lips._

"_What?" she repeated, bringing back memories of a night that she had asked him something similar over a white trash dinner in a funeral home._

"_Mhm..." he mumbled, not knowing what to say. He wanted to reach out, touch that scar on her forehead, trace it with his thumb before moving to cup her cheek. He wanted to know whether it _was _real. "Beth?" he whispered, his voice low and gravely as he finally lifted his hand, moving it toward her face._

"_Yes, Daryl?" she asked, her lips parting as she continued to push the little girl on the swing._

"_You..." he trailed off, knowing that his voice would break if he kept talking._

"_What about me?" Beth pressed._

"_You changed my mind," he finally said, his index finger brushing against her cheek. Beth closed her eyes, a smile still on her face as she exhaled before opening her eyes to look at him again._

"_Daryl, I–"_

Bang!

_Coldness ran through him as he watched Beth's head snap back as her body fell to the ground. The little girl on the swing screamed a blood curling scream and Daryl moved quickly, grabbing her and pushing her to the ground as well, keeping them both low. He breathed heavily as his eyes fell on Beth, blood dripping from the young woman's mouth, eyes wide as she stared into nothingness._

"_Mommy!" the little girl struggled in his arms to get away; to get closer to Beth's lifeless body. Daryl felt tears pricking his eyes as he put his hand over the little girl's eyes._

"_Don't look," he told her. "Don't look at her... Don't look at Mommy."_

_As soon as he touched the little girl though, she faded out of his arms and he found himself on all fours on the ground, Beth's body still close by._

"_Little girl? Lil' Lady!" Daryl called out desperately, but he was alone yet again. He crawled over to Beth and gently touched her. His first tear fell on her face, sliding down to mix with the blood at the corner of her mouth. "No, Beth... Not again... Beth, please..." he repeated over and over again as he clutched her body to him, cradling her in his arms. "Beth, please don't leave me again," he choked out, his shoulders shaking with his sobs. "__Just, d__on't leave me..."_

-§-

Daryl shot up in bed, his breath coming out in short pants. For a moment, he didn't recognize his surroundings, which put him on alert as he automatically reached for his crossbow that was by the foot of the bed. Then he remembered where he was, at the farmhouse, before sitting at the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

It had all been a dream.

A dream that had begun so wonderfully and then ended in horror.

Running a hand through his hair, he turned back to look through the window, seeing that it was still dark outside. Once again, he buried his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his breath that was still a bit ragged.

His mind went back to the little girl, who had called him her father and Beth, who had looked so happy when he had finally found the words he had lost all those months ago. Finally, he had gathered the courage he needed to tell her that she was the one who had changed his mind about people. Though, maybe it wasn't really much about gathering courage rather than losing resolve. Something had always held him back and he had denied it to himself when he had first felt something different for the girl; when she had looked at him lazily, half-drunk (probably very drunk), telling him that they should burn down the moonshine shack and his past along with it.

And it had all been a dream.

Frustrated with himself, for conjuring up a future in his mind that would never be; a future he had never even known that he had wanted until he had dreamed it tonight, he laid back down on the bed. There was no use in getting up since it was still too dark outside to actually go on a hunt, but he knew that as soon as day broke, he would be out of the farmhouse and into the woods. He needed to clear his mind and he wouldn't be able to do so when Beth was always hanging around him.

Ever since that day in the backyard, when he had glared Eugene down for following Beth around, the blonde seemed to have interpreted it as if it was just fine for her to talk to him whenever she wanted, including when everyone was around them. Every single morning, Beth would say 'good morning' to him, sometimes even throwing in a 'Mr. Dixon' at the end with a teasing smirk. He would reply in a mumble, but she would keep coming up to him during the day to try and strike up conversations with him.

The first time it had happened, he had been so stunned that his mouth had actually opened to reply, but then he had choked on his own words and ended up looking like a fish. Rick and Michonne had been there at the time and the two of them had snickered at his dumbfounded expression, earning themselves a glare from him once Beth had walked away to talk to Morgan instead.

It had continued in that fashion for an entire week and he was fairly sure that she was coming up to him whenever he was around someone else on purpose, as if she wanted to show him that she didn't care what the others might think if the two of them actually had a decent conversation.

It bothered him.

It bothered him so, _so_ very much.

Not the fact that she was talking to him on a daily basis, but that he was never able to reply. He got angry with himself each and every time he failed to find words. It just didn't seem possible for him to figure out what to say to her when she casually mentioned something random to him. She would watch him for a moment, sigh when he didn't reply and then walk away before he could even open his mouth.

He _wanted_ to talk to her, but where was he even supposed to begin?

Not to mention the fact that he had half-expected her to get awkward around him after he had basically told Eugene to back off of her, even though she had told him that Eugene hadn't been bothering her. Later, when he had been alone in his room, he had realized just how possessive he had acted and he had felt a little ashamed of himself because of it. Beth had proven time and time and again that she could take care of herself. He had known that Beth had gotten Eugene under control, and yet he hadn't been able to keep from intervening.

Daryl didn't even want to begin to think about what that actually said about him and his feelings for Beth, that didn't seem to be fading away at all.

-§-

Daryl put the crossbow on the bench in front of Carl and Noah, pulling the squirrels he had tied around his waist off and putting them on the table. They both pulled back with scrunched up noses and Daryl smirked at them. "The two of ya remember wha' I taught ya? How to clean the critters?" he asked.

Carl poked one of the squirrels with his finger and nodded. "Ya want us to clean 'em for ya?" he questioned.

Daryl nodded. "I wanna take a walk 'round the perimeter with ya dad," he told the kid.

"But you just got back from a hunt," Noah pointed out. "Aren't you tired?"

"Nah," Daryl shrugged. "Just clean 'em up an' take 'em to Carol. She'll smoke 'em or somethin'."

He handed Carl the smaller knife he usually used when skinning the small animals and the boy took it with a small nod.

"Let's go to the backyard," he told Noah, who picked up the squirrels, saluting Daryl once before they walked off. Daryl chuckled at the sight of them and shook his head before turning around to Rick who was waiting on him, knife attached to his belt, backup rifle strapped to his back.

"Hey, Daryl!"

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks and clenched his jaw, turning slowly to face Beth who was standing on the porch, leaning over the railing as she looked at him curiously.

"How did the hunt go?" she smiled at him.

His heart did those stupid flips that made him feel like he was a fucking teenager again and he shrugged at her. "Fine," he replied shortly.

"Ya get anythin' good?" she wondered.

"Mhm..." he hummed, causing her to narrow her eyes at him. She seemed to understand that he once again wasn't going to say anything else, so she tipped her head once and then turned to walk back into the house again, leaving him feeling like a useless piece of shit.

He knew that he would continuously disappoint her, until he finally figured out what he wanted or what he was actually able to talk to her about without feeling like a complete idiot. Sighing silently to himself, he turned back to Rick, who watched him with an amused expression.

"Shut up," Daryl mumbled as he passed the former sheriff, who only raised his hands in surrender.

"Didn't say anythin'," Rick pointed out.

"Ya were thinkin' it," Daryl said, as they walked toward the far fence.

"I was thinkin' nothin'," Rick tried, but Daryl looked over at him with a skeptical look on his face. "Fine, I was just thinkin' how Beth doesn't seem willing to give up on you."

For a moment, Daryl didn't speak. Rick had certainly hit the nail on the head with that one. Beth wasn't going to give up, as far as Daryl could tell. However, did that mean that she didn't want to give up on their potential friendship, or something else? The moment in the backyard, where she had walked right into him and he had been forced to hold onto her so that she wouldn't fall over, had been somewhat of an eye-opener for him. When his hands had been on her elbows and she had been so close to him, he had suddenly realized that he didn't ever want her to be far from him. He wanted her there, right next to him, preferably at least some part of her body brushing against his so that he would be sure that she was actually there.

It had scared him; the thoughts he had gotten. Unwillingly, he had forced himself to step away from her when he had realized that he was holding on to her even when it wasn't necessary. It reminded him of that first time Beth had embraced him, back at the prison. Then he had been so uncomfortable that he hadn't even known what to do. He hadn't felt uneasy because of her specifically, but rather because of the hug itself. He hadn't been able to remember the last time someone had embraced him or if anyone had _ever _held him like that; just to comfort him. Sure, Carol had dropped a small kiss on his cheek once in a while, but she had never pushed the limits on physical contact unless he himself initiated it, like that time after Terminus.

But it had felt different even back then, and he recalled feeling sick with himself for even allowing his mind to travel to inappropriate places. Beth had just been a little girl in his eyes up until then. Sure, she had proven to be useful when it came to watching Judith and during the time after the fall of Woodbury and the Governor's final attack, he had gone to her cell on occasion to check on the lil' Asskicker. He had begun seeing a more mature and grown up young woman then, but he hadn't thought about it until she had pressed herself to him when she had hugged him. Either way, he had forced himself to push away those thoughts and bury them deep inside.

Then, when the two of them had been separated from the others, he had struggled to keep thinking of her as a young girl. When she had first yelled at him in the woods, the day she had decided that she wanted a drink, he had seen her someone who wasn't afraid, but rather someone who was determined to live and do _something_. In that moment, she had seemed so grown up and he had wondered how he had even missed how much she had changed. Then he remembered that hug that he had locked up tight within his heart and realized that he had known for quite a while just how grown up Beth was.

And now, she didn't remember those moments they had shared. She didn't remember the moonshine shack, or the funeral home, the night she had played the piano for him nor the white trash breakfast he had prepared for her. She didn't remember any of it, and yet, she seemed to want to get to know him.

When did he become so interesting?

Sometimes, at night, when he laid in his bed, unable to sleep, he wondered whether there was a small part of Beth that might feel something for him. What if there was just a tiny part of her brain that knew that he had once been _someone _to her? A friend, at least.

Was that why she wasn't giving up on him yet, no matter how many times he screwed up around her?

Daryl looked over at Rick, who seemed to still be expecting a reply from him. He sighed, "I know. I just don't get it– _her_."

Rick shrugged finally as they walked along the fence. "Women are difficult to understand sometimes," his friend told him. "If there's one thing I think is pretty obvious though, it's that Beth has become very determined. Ya shoulda seen her that day when she followed ya when ya went huntin'. I have never seen anyone run that quickly. She looked ready to tear down anyone who came between her and her mission."

"She's stubborn," Daryl nodded. "I wish she would just stay away."

Rick shot him a skeptical look. "Daryl, there ain't no point in making shit up," he said. "I know you. Why are you so afraid to get close to her?"

"I'm not gonna get her killed again, Rick," Daryl told him honestly.

"Is that what ya think will happen if ya let her in?" Rick wondered with a frown. Daryl nodded, causing Rick to sigh. "She's survived so much, Daryl. Against all odds, she's still here. Doesn't that tell ya something?"

"Yeah, that she's strong," Daryl replied. "I knew that before, but it didn't stop her from gettin' shot in front of me."

"That ain't gonna happen again," Rick tried, but Daryl just shook his head.

"I ain't riskin' losin' her again," he told Rick, finality in his tone.

Rick still looked like he wanted to say something else, but the man shut his mouth and kept walking, changing the subject to something else. Daryl could hear him talking, offering a reply every once in a while, but his mind kept going back to the blonde that refused to leave him alone.

-§-

He wasn't sure what it was that had prompted him to wake up in the middle of the night. By the way his heart was beating frantically in his chest, he figured it might have been another dream, or nightmare, but he couldn't remember it.

Part of him was thankful that he didn't, but another, more selfish part of him, would have wanted to at least catch a glimpse of Beth and that little girl again, if only for a moment.

Daryl had never been the kind of man to imagine himself with a family; not only because of the way he had grown up, but also because he genuinely didn't believe that he would be a good father or husband. Never before had he had dreams about that kind of future, but here he was, wishing that he would get to see it at least once more. It might have been different if the woman in his dreams had been someone random that he didn't care about. Then, maybe he wouldn't keep reminding himself of the little girl that had made his heart pound wildly in his chest out of pure amazement. But no, it had been _Beth _he had shared that future with in his dream.

Daryl shook his head at himself and got up from the bed, a sudden dryness in his mouth. He pulled on his vest and started for the door. Maybe some air would help clear his mind a bit and get his head straight again.

When he walked out of his room though, into the hallway, he stopped, staring at Beth's door. At first, he wasn't entirely sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, so he took a tentative step closer, listening intently to what was happening on the other side.

A sob was heard, followed by sniffling.

His stomach twisted and automatically, he moved his hand toward the handle before pausing again. He wanted to go in and see if Beth was all right, which she clearly wasn't if she was inside her room crying like she had a few weeks ago. Knowing that she was upset on the other side of the door made him uneasy, but he didn't know how she would react to him just barging in, and to be quite honest, he wasn't sure he was the best person to comfort her either.

He recalled that day in the country club, where he had watched her break down over that damned peach schnapps before losing his resolve and just smashing the bottle against the floor. Instead of actually comforting her with words, he had made sure that she got what she wanted and felt that she _needed_. They had shared the moonshine that he had found them and briefly, she had gotten the comfort that she had been seeking, not through words, but through actions. He might have comforted Carol in the past, when they lost Sophia, and tried to be there for both Carl and Rick when Lori died... But he it had never felt quite natural for him to just throw away all his common sense, just so that he would make someone happy. When he had been alone with Beth, he had honestly thought that she was the last person that was alive from his group. He hadn't wanted to lose her too and he hadn't just wanted her to be happy, he had _needed _her to be.

Now, he was once again torn. Should he step inside and comfort her, despite telling her several times over that the two of them had never been close? Or should he stay away, and let her be the strong person he knew she was, so that she could get through it alone, because really, once shouldn't be dependent of anybody in this world.

Another sob sounded and Daryl finally put his hand on the handle, starting to open the door, when he suddenly felt someone's eyes on him. He turned around, hand still on the handle, only to see Morgan standing at the end of the hallway, next to the stairs. Morgan watched him curiously, as if anticipating his next move. Daryl let go of the handle as if it had burned him and took a step back, feeling like he had just been caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar.

Morgan silently watched him for another minute before motioning with his head for Daryl to follow him. The other man started down the stairs again and Daryl glanced at Beth's door once more, hearing that the crying had become more silent before finally sighing and walking after Morgan.

He followed him into the kitchen, where Morgan poured them both something to drink from the liquor cabinet.

"It's just vodka," Morgan said, handing Daryl one of the glasses before taking a small sip from his own. Daryl watched the man briefly, before putting the glass to his own mouth, taking a large gulp of it; the alcohol burning down his already sore throat. "Why are you awake, Mr. Dixon?" Morgan frowned as he sat down on a chair by the table. Daryl leaned back against the counter, tapping his finger against the glass.

"Hmm... Couldn't sleep," Daryl replied. "What are you doin' up? Isn't Tyreese s'posed to be on watch?"

Morgan nodded slowly. "He is," he said. "I just woke up to go check on Beth. I do so every night... She doesn't know," he added when he saw Daryl's questioning look. Morgan shook his head and chuckled, "The lil' Lady is very proud of herself, I believe. She doesn't want me coddling her, but it makes me feel better to know that she's alright and isn't having any nightmares. Usually, I just stand by her door for a bit and listen, to make sure that she's still asleep."

Daryl hummed in reply, but didn't say anything else as he raised his glass and drank the last of the vodka. He wasn't much for drinking these days, knowing that he needed to be alert. He could count on one hand the times he had drunk anything since the apocalyptic shit started happening around him, the most memorable two being when he had gotten drunk with Beth and that one time in that bar when he had basically confessed to Rick that he had felt something very non-platonic for Beth.

"She was havin' another nightmare," Daryl mumbled, looking at Morgan. He waited for the man's reaction, but Morgan just offered him an affirmative look.

"It's strange that she had another one so soon," he informed Daryl. "Usually, they come every three weeks or so, unless you count that first month when she wasn't even able to speak."

"Why didn't ya go to her?" Daryl asked then.

Morgan tilted his head, something Daryl remembered seeing Beth do on several occasions as she observed him. The man watched him before countering, "Why didn't you?"

Daryl couldn't believe that Morgan could be so blunt about what he was obviously seeing. The last time, Daryl had been the one who had come to Morgan and asked him to talk, but Morgan had then too been able to turn the conversation around so that it ended up about Daryl's feelings for Beth. Now, he had done the same thing, but there was a lightness in his tone that told Daryl that he hadn't meant any offense with it.

"Not my place," Daryl replied. "Wouldn't have known what to do."

"I think it would have come naturally," Morgan mused, resting his chin in his hand as he put his elbow on the table. "I'm sure Beth wouldn't have minded, considering how she's been goin' after you all week long."

Daryl felt his face heat up a bit although he forced himself to keep his eyes on Morgan. "I'm tryin' to keep her away," he said honestly. "I'm tryin' to keep her safe."

"And she won't be with you?" Morgan frowned.

"I got her killed the last time," Daryl said as the conversation began feeling a bit similar to the one the two of them had shared when Daryl had first asked him about Beth's nightmares. Then, Morgan had told him that he believed that Daryl wouldn't do anything to hurt Beth on purpose and that he believed that Daryl was a good man.

"Funny," Morgan said, meeting his eyes with dead seriousness, "that wasn't the story I heard."

Daryl observed him for a moment, "What story did you hear?"

"The one where Beth did something reckless that ended up with her getting shot in a hospital. The one where she was kidnapped and taken to said hospital against her will," Morgan listed. "That version doesn't include it being her fault that she's suffering now."

"I was with her," Daryl confessed quietly. "She an' I were alone when she got kidnapped. I should have looked for her sooner, but I got all caught up with everythin' else... It was my fault that she died."

"Last time I checked, she's still alive," Morgan pointed out to him. "You can't blame yourself for what happened... I get that you don't really know me and that I didn't know Beth before she lost her memory, but I do know Beth _now_, and that girl," Morgan shook his head, pointing with his finger up to the ceiling. "That girl wouldn't want you to blame yourself for anything that's in the past."

Daryl pushed away from the counter and put his glass in the sink, thinking about Morgan's words without actually looking at him. It was clear that Morgan cared deeply for Beth; the man had even admitted to thinking of her as his daughter. From what he could see, Beth felt the same toward Morgan and the two of them were close; so close in fact that Daryl had at first misinterpreted the nature of their relationship. He looked back at Morgan, suddenly worried that the man would tell Beth what he had learned about the blonde's past of being alone with Daryl.

Morgan seemed to catch the worry on his face, offering him a small smile. "I ain't gonna tell Beth anything, Dixon," he said. "I know that some things are better to be left alone until the people involved are ready to talk about it themselves. It's clear to me that no matter what I say here, you're not ready to let the lil' Lady in, which I understand completely."

Daryl didn't say anything again, but he did offer Morgan a short nod.

"You should probably go back to bed though," Morgan said. "Get some rest. Who knows what Rick has planned out for us all tomorrow..." he chuckled and Daryl couldn't help but smirk himself. He knew there were still a lot of things that needed to be done. Eugene was trying to figure out a way to repair the farm's back-up generator so that they might have electricity too and from what Daryl understood, they would most likely need to go on another long run to get the things they would need.

"You're a good man, Morgan," Daryl finally said, surprising even himself. He hadn't previously been very open to accepting the man and when they had first come across him, he had been sure that Morgan was insane. Spending weeks on the farm though, weeks that were slowly beginning to turn into months, he could see that Morgan wasn't very different from the rest of the people in their group. They had all been through things that had messed with their heads and hell, Daryl would probably be a hypocrite if he said that Merle's death hadn't left a permanent mark in his mind. If the others knew that he sometimes would hallucinate his brother, or hear his voice in his mind, they would surely believe that he had gone crazy.

Then again, Rick hadn't exactly been very sane after losing Lori and Carol too had lost her way for a while, not to mention Sasha and Tyreese. They had all been through thing and they all dealt with it in different ways, but in the end, all that mattered was that they were still alive and together.

Morgan didn't say anything when Daryl finally walked out of the kitchen, but Daryl could have sworn that there was a small smile playing on the man's lips. Daryl walked quietly up the stairs and stopped outside of Beth's bedroom again when he got there. He listened intently, but there were was no sign of her crying or being upset anymore. He went back into his own room, figuring that Beth's nightmare had subsided and laid down in bed.

No matter what Morgan actually said to him, he felt like he had made the right decision not to walk into Beth's room. Still, that didn't mean that he didn't secretly wish, deep within his heart, that he had.

-§-

The next day, Daryl noticed the change immediately, even if it didn't seem like anyone else did. Beth sat quietly at the breakfast table, picking at her porridge when he passed the kitchen on his way out. He could hear Maggie, Carol and Michonne conversing about something, but the blonde at the table didn't seem to be paying much attention to them.

He walked out though, thinking that it would only be a matter of time before Beth came out of the house and started up a conversation with him again.

Hours passed though and he was pretty sure it was soon around dinner time, but Beth hadn't come up to him even once. She was sitting on the porch with a time book in her hand, scribbling things down, an almost permanent looking frown on her face. He wiped his hands on his red rag and walked toward her, not really thinking about what consequences his actions might entail.

"Hey," he mumbled when he was close enough, earning her attention. She looked up at him and her eyes widened a little in surprise. It was clear that she hadn't expected him to approach her. "How are ya?" he asked, feeling a little embarrassed although he didn't know why.

"Uh..." Beth trailed off, not having expected him to speak to her out of his own free will, before closing her little book. "I'm fine," she replied, still a bit hesitant.

He half-expected her to ask him how he was too, but she didn't. Awkwardness filled the space between them and he cleared his throat. "That's good," he said. "I, uh, have to get back to work." He motioned to Morgan's truck that was loaded with firewood that they had chopped up and the wheelbarrow that he had been using to bring the firewood out back where Tyreese, Rick and Morgan were working on piling it up neatly.

Beth just blinked a few times and nodded before wordlessly turning back to her little notebook. Daryl frowned as he turned around, not liking the way the young woman was trying to isolate herself. Then, he thought once again about how hypocritical he was being.

-§-

Daryl grabbed his crossbow and walked outside. Michonne was sitting on the porch, staring straight ahead out in the darkness as she kept watch. It was Daryl's turn to switch with her though so he walked over to her and sat down on the steps next to her, his crossbow still in his hands, loaded and ready for the attacks he was sure wasn't going to happen tonight.

"It's quiet," Michonne told him. "It's always so damn quiet."

"It is," Daryl agreed. "No trouble tonight either then?"

Michonne shook her head, still not looking at him. She was holding the handle of her katana while the tip of the sword which was covered by its sheath dug into the grass in front of her.

"It's scary," the woman said after another moment of silence. "The fact that I'm almost completely relaxed."

"I get what ya mean," Daryl said roughly. "Feels like things shoulda gone to hell weeks ago."

"I keep waiting for it," Michonne agreed. "I keep waiting for a heard to tear everything we've managed to build down and I hate myself for being such a pessimist. I was never like this before..."

"What does Rick say 'bout it?" Daryl wondered.

Michonne shrugged. "He doesn't say anything, but I know he feels the same way. We're all too relaxed but at the same time, since we are aware of it, we actually _aren't _relaxed. You get what I mean?"

Daryl nodded slowly, seeing the logic in what she was saying. "We deserve to relax a bit though... We've gone through too much shit already," he told her.

"I want to relax. I want to be able to put all of it behind me and just move forward," Michonne said, a haunted look in her eyes. "I'm getting the best sleep I've gotten in months and I'm glad that it seems like we've finally found a place where we can actually _live_ and not just make it... But I'm still not putting my guard down and I don't know whether that's right or not."

They sat in silence for a little while longer this time, until Michonne finally pulled her sword out of the ground and stood up. "You gonna be fine out here by yourself?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, you should go ahead and get some sleep," he told her before his lips twisted into a small smirk. "We wouldn't want Rick to wait too long, would we?"

Michonne rolled her eyes at him. "Not sure what you're talkin' about, Dixon, but I sure as hell aren't gonna answer." She began walking toward the door and Daryl chuckled as he turned to look after her.

"What? You an' Rick can tease me all ya want, but I can't tease ya back?" he asked, smirking as she walked inside after flipping him off once. Shaking his head, he turned back to look at the open space in front of him. Michonne had left behind the binoculars they used when they were on watch and he picked them up, looking through them to get a better look. It would have been difficult to see in the dark, especially considering that they hadn't put up any kind of lights so that they wouldn't attract strangers or walkers. However, the binoculars they had found along the way during their seven month long walk had night vision, which had helped them on several occasions.

He heard the door opening behind him and he turned around, ready to ask Michonne whether she had forgotten something. The words died in his throat though, when his eyes fell on Beth who was leaning against the door, still in her flannel pajama pants and the hoodie that she had worn that morning that she had happily told him that she had gotten her voice back. Her hair was gathered in a pony tail, but there were loose curls sticking out in some places. She looked a little bit paler than she usually did, but Daryl figured it might have something to do with it being so dark outside. He waited for her to say something or at least _do _something. When she finally stepped away from the door, quietly shutting it behind herself, she moved toward him, a lot more confidently than he had originally expected. He scooted over without thinking and she sat down next to him on the steps, where Michonne had been sitting just half an hour ago.

He looked forward again, sneaking a glance at her before he did and they both remained silent. Beth was neither looking at him, nor staring ahead though. Her head was lowered as she started picking at the wood underneath her with her finger, clearly deep in thought. Daryl didn't feel uncomfortable with her there, much to his surprise. He had half-expected himself to panic with having her that close to him again, but maybe he was just too stunned by her approaching him after having spent the entire day basically ignoring him.

He didn't know how long they sat in silence, although he was fairly sure that an hour had passed before Beth startled him by speaking. "I'm glad that you found me," she told him, still not looking at him. "I'm glad, even though I might not have seemed like it at first." Daryl turned to look at her, but she refused to meet his gaze as she continued to speak. "I know I've been botherin' you since that day in the woods," she said. "I'm sorry for that... I never meant to make you uncomfortable or anythin' and I can tell that you don't wanna get to know me–"

"Did ya have another nightmare?" Daryl interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. This time, Beth turned her head sharply and stared at him, her mouth falling open in surprise. He hated himself for having made her think that he didn't want to get to know her again, although in the back of his mind, Merle pointed out that that had indeed been the message that he had wanted to send to her.

_'It isn't anymore though,'_ Daryl thought to himself as he waited for Beth's reply.

The young woman looked at him before turning away. He saw her swallow and bite her lip before she finally nodded, confirming that she had indeed been plagued by her bad dreams again. "How did you know?" she asked him.

"Heard ya last night," he answered her, knowing there was no point to keep it hidden that he knew more about her than she might have originally thought. "Also a few weeks ago," he added, not mentioning that Morgan had told him a bit more about the after effects of her so called 'accident'.

"And you haven't told anyone?" Beth frowned, looking back at him again. He could see the genuine surprise shining in her azure eyes.

"Nah," he drawled. "Didn't see how it was anyone's business."

"Really?" Beth said, disbelief evident in her tone.

"I guess I just..." he trailed off and sighed. "I'm just lookin' out for ya, I suppose."

He watched her, waiting for a reaction, but she kept her face neutral as her eyes moved over his face. She was trying to get a read on him, that much was certain. Finally, a small smile broke out on her face and he almost released a breath when he relaxed a bit.

"Keep sayin' things like that, Mr. Dixon," Beth started, mischief glinting in her eyes, "and I might start to think that you actually _do _care."

He said nothing to contradict what she was saying and she seemed satisfied with that. She turned to stare ahead again and silence fell between them once more.

-§-

"Daryl?" Beth spoke after a while. Her voice was low, as if she had been afraid to startle him.

"Mhm...?" he hummed questioningly, looking over at her. She was still scraping against the wood on the porch nervously and she wasn't looking at him. Even in the darkness, he could see that there was a hint of a blush on her face.

"Will you tell me a story?" she asked. Instantly, she stopped scraping and looked up blankly as her mouth twisted into a smile and a small giggle escaped her lips. "Oh my God," she shook her head, quiet giggles falling effortlessly out of her mouth. "That sounded so stupid," she pointed out, shoulder shaking with quiet laughter.

It had been a pretty silly question, Daryl had to admit, but seeing her smile and actually hearing her laugh made up for it.

"Just forget about it..." she trailed off as her eyes settled on his face again. "Hey! Is that a smile I see?" she grinned. Daryl realized that he must have been smiling too without thinking about it and he could feel the grin on his face only widening as he shook his head at her.

"What kind of a story would ya like to hear?" he asked her instead. "I ain't tellin' ya no fairytale," he added when he saw her happy expression.

"You're willin' to tell me one?" she asked and he confirmed by nodding. "Something about yourself then? Something that happened to you... If that isn't too much to ask?"

He almost told her that it was, but he didn't want to push her away again. The time that they had spent alone, he had shared some stories of his past with her anyway and what he hadn't told her, she had most likely figured out all on her own. Even though she didn't remember him or the stories they had already exchanged during quiet nights by the fire, she was probably the only person that he would feel comfortable just sharing a small story of his past with.

"I dunno..." he mumbled. "I ain't all that interesting."

"Come on," she said, nudging him lightly, moving closer without thinking. "Everyone has a story to tell... Have you ever been married?"

He looked at her sharply, taken aback by her question. "What? _No, _I ain't ever been married," he replied. "Why would ya ask that?"

Beth shrugged, "I figured that maybe you had some epic love story that you could share. Or if you'd had either a wife or a girlfriend at least, you might have something to say about her." Then Beth frowned, raising an eyebrow at him. "Unless you're not into girls, which would be fine too."

"I'm not gay," Daryl told her, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. That had not been what he had been expecting her to say. "And I never had a serious relationship with anyone..." he trailed off and looked away. "Though, there was this one girl," he found himself saying before he could stop.

"I knew it," Beth beamed at him. "So there was a girl."

Daryl's shoulders rose in a half-shrug where he tilted his head to the side, "We weren't together or anythin'."

"But you liked her," Beth pointed out, her smile still on her lips.

"I... I s'pose I did," Daryl admitted. "Ya really wanna hear this crap?"

"It's not _crap_, Daryl," Beth reprimanded him sternly. "It's important to remember the people we once cared about. I would love to hear about her, if you're still willing to share."

"There ain't much _to _share," Daryl said, trying not to think about how difficult it must be for her not to remember anything about her past and the people _she _once cared about. "It was a long time ago... She was different than other girls. I met her after the world went to shit and all that..." He met Beth's gaze but she didn't saying anything, waiting for him to continue, which he finally did.

"She liked to sing," he said. "She sung a lot, even when I didn't think there was any time for it. I thought she was immature because of it... That she wasn't ready for this world. I didn't think she fit in here, in this darkness, but now..." he shrugged, clearing his throat a bit as he looked away, no longer being able to look into Beth's eyes. "Now I find myself missin' even hearin' her humming."

A beat passed between them until Beth spoke. "What happened to her?" she asked, the laughter and amusement from before when she had joked with him gone and replaced by seriousness instead.

"She just disappeared," Daryl told her, his voice a mere whisper. "Disappeared outta my life one day and I ain't sure I'm ever gonna see her again."

"I'm sorry," Beth whispered back, reaching toward him. He didn't flinch when her hand came to rest over his, which had been digging into his knee without him even realizing it. Turning his head, he looked at her again, searching her eyes for any sign that she recognized even a part of his story.

What surprised him the most was the fact that he found himself wishing she would remember at least something. A part of him had hoped that his small story would trigger something, like her love for music or _anything _really, which would bring back memories that he could no longer share with her.

Disappointment filled him though, when he realized that Beth wasn't remembering anything and he wondered if she ever would.

He didn't think through his next move, much like any other move he had been making around her recently. Although, it seemed to him as if his brain had sent his hand the signal all on its own without even considering her reaction. He turned his hand that she had placed her own over and it seemed like Beth reacted on instinct as well when she laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand lightly. He glanced at her again and noticed that she was watching him intently, her mind trying to catch up with what was happening. She looked down at their hands and then up at his face again, but she made no move to pull away. Her eyebrows furrowed briefly as something flashed in her eyes and Daryl's heart beat just a little bit faster.

"I don't know whether I knew you before, Daryl," Beth finally began, the frown on her face easing away the longer she looked at him, "but I wasn't lying when I told you that I wanted to get to know you."

He felt her grip on his hand tighten once more before she stood up, letting go of his hand. She walked to the door and he heard her stop, but he didn't dare to turn back to look at her, not sure what he would do if he did. When he heard her step inside and close the door behind her, he continued to look ahead. His hand was still burning from her touch and it felt as if her fingers were still there, laced with his. He clenched and unclenched his hand a couple of times, willing it to feel normal again, but it wasn't cooperating.

No matter how many times he tried to tell his brain to stop thinking about Beth, or to keep his body from reacting to her touch, it didn't listen. After telling Beth the story about the girl who sung too much, he felt bitter at the fact that she hadn't understood that it had been _her _he had been talking about. She had been the only girl he had been able to think about when she had requested to hear about the women of his past; she had been the only one who had been important enough to remember and he didn't even want to start contemplating what it meant that he had thought about her, when Beth had mentioned 'love'.

All he knew was that he had failed at keeping away from her and that he honestly didn't even mind it. He wanted to be close to her, he needed to be near her; to see that she really was alive and breathing and just _there._

That night, he decided that from now on, he was done with pushing her away. He would take every day and every conversation as it came. Sure, he might still be awkward and uncomfortable at times and he may not be sure what to say every now and then, but he sure as hell wouldn't willingly push her away and ignore her.

He had missed her.

And it was about damn time that he allowed himself to get to know her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: It sure is about damn time, isn't it? ;)<strong>

**Sooooooo? What did you think? Can you guys guess which thing that happened in this story that is going to become a re-occurring thing in this story for a while? Please, tell me what you thought about the chapter in general and which scene was your favorite! :)**

**Lots of love and many hugs! xx**

**P.S. Next up, Beth is gonna remember something...something sad...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Note: Hey peeps! I'm back with another chapter, as promised! The reviews have been wonderful, but unfortunately I haven't had time to reply to them here on ff due to the fact that the site was down all day yesterday!**

**Either way, I just wanted to say thank you for the lovely comments and I'm happy that you liked the chapter! And please, don't hate me after this chapter... Oh, and read the ending note! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 11**

_Beth stared at the man in front of her. He was kneeling on the grass, hands bound behind his back. His white hair and white beard and kind eyes... She took him all in. Her focus was on him as she watched the scene in front of her unravel. She could see Rick, talking to someone; a bunch of blurry people in the distance._

_Someone gently, quietly tried to get her attention, pressing something into her back. She took the shotgun automatically, arming herself, preparing for battle, it seemed._

_Rick was still talking to the blurry figure that was standing behind the man; the same man who held Michonne's katana sword in his hand. Beth's gaze moved to the side and she saw Michonne kneeling as well._

_What was happening?_

_Panic filled her chest as the old man lifted his head. It felt as if he was looking right at her for a moment, right before his gaze settled back on Rick, head still held high. Rick said something else, but he was too far away and Beth couldn't hear him. She clutched the weapon in her hand._

_The man with the white hair, white beard and kind eyes looked ahead, a calm passing over his face. She could just barely make out the hint of a broken smile on his lips, as if he knew what was coming._

_The next thing she knew, the man behind him had swung Michonne's sword, the blade embedding itself in the side of the old man's neck._

"_No!" Beth screamed, agony filling her as she tried to move forward, but something was in her way. Next to her, she heard Maggie scream and then all hell broke lose when bullets started flying. Beth watched in horror as the old man fell to the ground, blood pooling by his neck, his smile still on his lips._

-§-

Gasping, Beth shot up in her bed, grabbing the knife she slept with under her pillow in her hand. She breathed heavily, eyes moving around the room to make sure that she was safe. Swallowing thickly, she pushed her covers away and moved toward the door, her knife still clutched in her hand as she swung it open. She stopped then, her hand still on the handle as she stared at Daryl's closed door, trying to figure out what she was doing.

Had she really been about to run to Daryl's room?

Since when had she began feeling so comfortable around Daryl that she actually went to his room? She had never been in there since the archer had moved in and she wasn't sure that he would be comfortable with having her there, no matter how much more regularly the two of them had begun talking to each other.

Two weeks had passed since that night on the porch, when she had decided to tell him that she understood that he didn't want anything to do with her. Two weeks since he had surprised her, but instead of pushing her away, letting her in by sharing a story from his past. It hadn't just been any story either. No, it had been about someone he had once cared about, someone he still probably thought of and missed, if he had decided to tell Beth about the person.

Beth wasn't blind. She had seen the emotions playing on Daryl's face as he had told her about the girl who he had though sung too much until she had disappeared and stopped singing. Although, she couldn't say that she was a hundred percent certain, since she was still learning how to read the hunter, but she was at least ninety percent sure that Daryl had been kind of in love with the girl he had told her about. It had just been something about the look on his face, that had made Beth think that if _she _had ever been in love, that would have been the way she would have looked if she had been thinking about the person she loved.

If Daryl was aware of the fact that he had loved the girl he had spoken about, she wasn't sure.

He seemed like the kind of man who didn't really understand what love was. Not that she would be any better at knowing, since she knew that she _hadn't_ been in love with anyone. Maggie had told her a bit more about her past boyfriends, and yes, she might have cared for them, but she hadn't loved them. The word love was something that she would reserve until she was absolutely sure that she had found the one man that she wouldn't want to live without. In a world like the one they were currently living in though, she realized that finding that man would be difficult enough, but also managing to keep him alive would probably be damn near impossible. She just couldn't see herself ever falling in love.

Yet, there had been a moment, when he had allowed her to hold his hand, that she had felt _something_. She suspected that he too much have felt the change inside of her because he had just watched her silently for a moment, almost as if he had been hoping for her to say something, but she couldn't think of anything _to _say. His story, about the singing girl, had seemed familiar, but at the same time so foreign. It was as if she had known the girl herself once upon a time, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to actually ask him about the girl that Beth suspected he had had feelings for.

Nevertheless, it wasn't her place to pry when it came to Daryl and his potential feelings for the girl. She still didn't know what it was that had prompted her to ask him to tell her a story, but as soon as she had uttered the words, she had worried that he would become defensive and never speak to her again. He hadn't though, which she was grateful for, and now, the two of them engaged in almost daily conversations.

Their talks were usually short though and they weren't as deep as that conversation on the porch had been, but she liked them anyway. She liked being around him, despite his sometimes sour state, and he seemed to genuinely be enjoying her company. At other times, she could see that he was tense and simply didn't approach him until he sought her out and he seemed to be able to tell when she was having a particularly bad day as well.

Sometimes, all it took was a look, and she would know that he was aware of her presence. He would work hard on a daily basis, never resting and she would, after finishing her own chores, come out and sit either on the porch or on the bench and watch him work. She wondered if he found her staring at him creepy, but since he never said anything, she was sure that he didn't mind.

Eugene had proven to be quite kind once one got to know him. He had apologized to Beth several times over for the way he had acted, awkwardly stalking her and gawking at her. Beth found that Maggie had been right when she had told her that Eugene was harmless and truth be told, Beth quite enjoyed hearing the scientist (who wasn't actually a _real_ scientist) explain to her how some of the technical things worked around the farm.

On their latest run, Rick, Tyreese, Abraham, Glenn and Daryl had found some solar panels on some houses a couple of miles away. They had gone through great lengths to take them off the roofs and bring them back to the farm, where they hoped that Eugene would somehow manage to make them work. The scientist had been working day in and day out in his room trying to figure out how to attach them to the roof and to connect them to the back-up generator that still hadn't been fixed in the basement. Daryl and Tyreese had been helping him repair it though and they were all hoping that they would have power by the end of the week or so.

Things were moving on smoothly on the farm. Maggie and Rick had taken to farming a bit, even going as far as to put out a plan on how they would plant the seeds they had found once winter was over. Carol and Noah had happily taken on the kitchen duty and Carol had told Beth how much she enjoyed being back in a real kitchen and just be able to relax while stirring a stew. Beth herself liked cooking well enough, but she much rather spent her days either in the backyard, teaching Carl how to throw knives, or helping Tara and Rosita with the cleaning. She hated physical work though, even though she had pulled her own weight when she had been alone with Morgan. Now however, she figured that there were more than enough people around so that she could skip out on it. She only helped when she knew that it was absolutely necessary. Glenn, Sasha and Michonne seemed to be the people who focused the most on going on runs. Sasha didn't seem as used to it as Glenn and Michonne though, but she loved going out, hating to be stuck on the farm for more than three days in a row. Her brother sometimes shared his concern about her restlessness, but Sasha insisted that she would go nuts if she were to start farming next to Rick and Maggie.

Then there was Father Gabriel.

At times, the reverend helped Carol and Noah in the kitchen, but mostly, he spent his day either in the garden reading from his Bible, or walking by the far fence. He would still sometimes look at Beth, but she had learned how to ignore him after Noah had told her that it wasn't worth getting into arguments with the man who just wouldn't change his strange behavior. Each and every night though, for two weeks, the pastor had insisted that they all say Grace before eating, to thank God for giving them another meal in these dark times.

Beth had fought hard to keep a snicker from falling from her lips when Daryl had mumbled that Father Gabriel should be thanking _him_ for catching such a delicious rabbit, while Carl had started laughing out loud, earning a stern look from Rick and Michonne.

Baby Judith had been getting more active too. She was now crawling around the house and when he wasn't working with Eugene and Tyreese on the generator in the basement, Daryl had taken to baby-proofing the house. He and Glenn had found some gates that they used to block the stairs and the front door so the little girl wouldn't crawl out when no one was looking and he had made sure that all the doors had some kind of block so that Judith wouldn't hurt her fingers. Beth thought it was very sweet, which she had told Daryl and she had been surprised to see the man blush before he told her that he would do anything for the girl that he had named "lil' Asskicker" when she had been born.

Beth wanted to know more about the people in her past, but at the same time, she was a little scared of what she might find out. She knew that there was a reason for them not being there on the farm and that reason was that they were _dead_. How they had died, was something that she felt torn about wanting to know. From what she had understood, most of them had passed because of walkers, but others, like Carl's mother for example, had died in childbirth due to blood loss. She didn't ask about it though because she knew that it was also a touchy subject, however, sometimes, she would overhear Maggie and Glenn talking to each other as they remembered past friends.

And now, Beth had dreamed about a man, whose head had basically been cut off in front of her.

As she had thought about the way things had changed over the last two weeks, her breathing had calmed somewhat and she had gathered herself. She walked back into her room and shut the door behind her, closing her eyes as the horrible image of white beard turning velvet filled her mind again. The pain in her chest wasn't subsiding and she just _knew_ that she had known this man somehow. No name would come to mind, but she felt like they had been close.

She had had the nightmare before, but the people around the old man, Rick and Michonne, had been just as blurry as the man who had dealt the blow with the sword. Now that she knew their voices and recognized their faces, they would appear more clearly in her dreams which meant that she was able to put some things together. It wasn't much though; no full blown memories yet, but just simple smiles from time to time or a nice word of sentence that still didn't make much sense when she woke up, but at least it was something.

She wondered about the man though and she wondered who he had been. She wanted to find out but she wasn't sure that she knew who to approach with it. It wasn't exactly as if talking about seeing people get decapitated in her dreams was something that normal people talked about. Besides, it would most likely bring forward more painful memories for the rest of her family and she didn't want them to hurt emotionally just because she was curious and wanted answers.

Looking out the window, she noticed that it was still dark outside. Sighing to herself, she lit the candle on her desk and opened her journal, opening the page where she had previously scribbled down her nightmare. She erased some things and wrote Rick and Michonne's names there instead, now that she knew that they had indeed been there. Filling in the rest of the details that she remembered, she tried to figure out who to approach about the dream, knowing that it would have to be someone she knew she could trust.

-§-

"Beth is teachin' me how to throw knives," Carl stated as he sat across from Daryl on the bench.

Daryl looked up at the kid with a raised eyebrow as he continued cleaning his bolts with his red rag, not having had time to do so after his last hunt. "I know," he stated. "She's been teachin' ya for two weeks now."

"Yeah," Carl drawled, looking a little dazed. "I just still think it's kinda amazin' that she's alive. Guess I never would have expected to have her teach me something like knife throwin'," he mused.

"Ya getting' any good at it?" Daryl questioned, not really wanting to talk about how it was still difficult to sometimes believe that Beth was with them after everything; that she had survived after everything.

"I hit the tree this mornin'," Carl said, "but Beth keeps tellin' me that I need to patient."

Daryl nodded quietly as he moved on to cleaning his crossbow. "Then ya gotta listen to her an' pay attention," he simply told Carl. "She's good at the throwin' an' if she tells ya to be patient, you be patient."

Daryl meant what he was telling Carl. He may not have watched her train the kid, but he knew for certain that Beth was good at the knife throwing, since he had seen it first hand when she had saved his life all those weeks ago in the woods. She knew her way around with those things and he didn't doubt that she could teach Carl. The only problem Daryl could see with it was that Carl was still somewhat trigger happy. The boy wanted to learn and all that, but he was used to guns, which meant that he actually had little to no patience. Either way, if there was anyone who could teach him the virtue of patience, it was Beth.

He remembered how she had been when he had been the one teaching her how to use his crossbow. In the beginning he had corrected her posture about a thousand times as well as her stand, but she never complained about his nagging. She picked up on things quickly though, so perhaps patience wasn't exactly relevant in that matter. After just a few days, Beth had learned how to aim and shoot straight with his crossbow, but the strength in her arms wasn't there, which meant that she still depended on Daryl when it came to loading the weapon again. Nevertheless, he taught her as much as possible in those weeks they had been together and she had never once complained to him. He wondered how much of that determination was still inside of her and how much of that that had developed during the months she had been alone with Morgan.

Noah had told Daryl how Beth had looked like she had been about to punch Father Gabriel's lights out when the man had been making her uncomfortable. Daryl had snorted and told the younger man that he was sure the reverend deserved it if Beth had been close to actually physically harming the man. He had noticed that Beth's face always seemed to cover in distaste whenever Father Gabriel passed her by and looked at her for too long. Daryl had thought about intervening, but after hearing Noah's story, he was sure that Beth could handle herself just fine.

There was something off with Beth today though. She had been..._twitchy_.

It began at breakfast, when she offered him and everyone else a quick 'good morning' before hurrying outside. Daryl had shot Morgan a questioning gaze but the other man had merely shrugged, telling them all that she would come back when she got herself straight. Apparently, that was something Beth did whenever there was a lot on her mind and she needed time to figure things out. Maggie shared her concerns but they all figured that Morgan knew best when it came to the young woman Beth was now.

Still, at times during the day, Daryl would see Beth sneaking glances his way and then at Maggie before simply lowering her head again. It was strange and he wanted to know what was going on with her, but he didn't want to be the one to approach her. If anything, he didn't want her to feel pressured to share what was bothering her and he also didn't want to scare her away.

"Hey, Kid," Daryl said, glancing at Carl who was still sitting in front of him. "Did ya train with Beth today?" he asked. Carl looked up at him and nodded. "She seem alright to ya?"

Carl picked a little at one of the bolts before shaking his head. "She seemed nervous," Carl admitted. "She wasn't as focused as she usually is."

"Mhm..." Daryl hummed, making mental notes of what Carl was telling him. "She say anythin' to ya? Or anyone else?"

Carl shook his head before lifting his gaze. "She's on her way over here," he said quickly. Daryl didn't turn around to look at her approaching, because he was pretty sure he had felt it the moment she had settled her gaze on him.

"Hey Daryl, uh, could I talk to you for a second?" Beth asked as she came to a stop by the table. Daryl looked up at her from his seat before looking at Carl, motioning with his head for the kid to leave them alone. He was pretty sure that Carl rolled his eyes before he stood up and walked away and he reminded himself to tease the kid a little in retaliation later.

Beth sat down across from him instantly, her elbows resting on the table as she bit into one of her fingernails nervously. Daryl observed her for another moment before putting his crossbow and his rag on the table.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice coming out a bit rougher than he would have liked.

"Yeah, I just..." Beth shook her head. "I feel like I'm going crazy," she admitted, putting her hands on her head as she closed her eyes.

"World's crazy," he told her blankly, although he was sure concern showed in his tone. "Why would you be any crazier than the rest of us?"

"I'm not even sure where I should begin with that one," Beth chuckled, but there wasn't much amusement in her tone.

"What's botherin' ya then?" Daryl asked.

"Are you willing to be my therapist for today?" Beth said, a challenge in her tone. He looked her over once and nodded. She played a bit with a loose tendril of hair before once again clasping her hands together. "I'm not sure where I should start," she admitted, this time more serious.

"Tell me a story then," he suggested, looking down at his crossbow again as he picked up his rag and started cleaning it again. "Tell me a story and I'll pretend it ain't 'bout you."

As soon as he had spoken, it all sounded like a stupid idea. He remembered how she had told him to tell her something about himself two weeks ago, and since he had opened up after such a simple request, he figured that she might as well. She was staring at him though and he felt embarrassed for even suggesting it.

"Ya don't have to–"

"I want to tell you, Daryl," she cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "I wanna tell you and you don't have to pretend that it isn't about me."

He thought back to his own story, the one about the girl who loved singing; the one about _Beth_. Then, he had pretended that it wasn't about her too, but since she didn't remember her past, she didn't know that. Instead, she probably thought that he had liked some other random girl that she hadn't even known.

"I had another nightmare last night," she finally confessed. "Though, it was more like a memory... I think."

"Ya think?" Daryl frowned. "What was it 'bout?"

"An old man," she told him. "He was... He looked so kind but he... He was killed. _Beheaded_, actually. It was like an execution or something. He was kneeling and then someone cut his head off." Daryl froze in his seat. "Am I crazy?" she asked him again, this time looking worried.

_Hershel_.

She had remembered Hershel.

Or well, she didn't know who the man she had dreamed about was, but the scene she was describing was definitely the one where her father had been murdered. Panic began flaring in Daryl's chest. What was he supposed to tell her? How was he supposed to tell her that the man with the kind eyes had been her father and that yes, he hadn't been killed by walkers, but rather by a human who had lost his mind and was just evil through and through?

Daryl swallowed thickly, knowing he couldn't send Beth Maggie's way either. He knew that Hershel's death was a sensitive topic for Maggie still, just like Beth's had been a few months ago. He wasn't exactly sure that the older Greene sister would handle telling Beth the truth very well.

But maybe Beth didn't need to know the entire truth? Perhaps it would be easier not to tell her everything about what had happened to Hershel?

"Ya ain't crazy," Daryl slowly began, putting his rag back down on the table. "'t was a memory. We were attacked once and the man you described was killed during the battle."

Beth breathed out, looking a little relieved but at the same time he could see that her shoulders were still tense.

Daryl frowned, "Why did ya decide to ask me 'bout it?"

Beth bit her lip and met his gaze before shrugging. "I guess I felt like you wouldn't sugar coat it," she admitted.

Daryl instantly felt horrible again. She had come to him because she thought that he would be honest and tell her the blunt truth instead of trying to cover it up, while all he had been doing to her since the two of them had started talking was sugar coat it. Guilt filled him but he managed to rise calmly from his seat, so that Beth wouldn't suspect that something was wrong.

"I gotta talk to Rick 'bout somethin'," he told her. "I'll see ya later."

He picked up his crossbow and his bolts, securing them in their place before walking off, feeling Beth's eyes boring into his back as he did.

-§-

Rick had been in the kitchen, playing with Judith when Daryl walked in, looking upset.

"I need to talk to ya," he grunted and Rick looked at him confusedly.

"Eveythin' okay?" he frowned, immediately handing Judith to Michonne who looked just as confused as he felt. Daryl shifted on his feet and shook his head.

"It's 'bout Beth," Daryl said, looking around the room as if to make sure that the young blonde wouldn't just pop up out of nowhere.

"What about Beth?" Michonne asked.

"She remembered somethin' an' asked me 'bout it," Daryl said quickly. "Rick, I need to talk to ya," he added, a little more urgently.

Rick nodded and stood up, patting Judith's head lightly before squeezing Michonne's shoulder, assuring her that he would be back soon before he followed Daryl out of the kitchen.

Everyone else was out for now, so the two of them walked upstairs to the master bedroom that Rick shared with his kids and Michonne. The two of them would be able to talk privately there, since Rick could see that something was clearly bothering Daryl.

"Ya said that Beth remembered something," Rick said. Daryl confirmed it by nodding. "And she told you about it?" Once again, the hunter replied with a curt nod.

It didn't surprise Rick that Beth had gone to Daryl. The two of them seemed to have been opening up to each other more and more these last couple of weeks. Quite frankly, Rick was glad that Daryl had finally decided to let Beth in a bit more and even though he didn't know for sure what the two of them talked about when they were alone, he had made sure that the rest of the people in their group wouldn't intervene if they saw them talking. He wanted Beth to be comfortable around all of them and he could see that the girl seemed to like spending time with Daryl the most. At times Rick wondered if it had to do with them having been separated from the rest of the group for a time, but then again, Beth didn't remember that. Or maybe a part of her did?

"She remembered Hershel," Daryl finally said, earning Rick's attention again. He looked over at the man who he now saw as a brother. "She remembered him bein' murdered."

"I see," Rick said, sitting down on the bed. He drew his hand over his face. "What exactly did she say?"

Daryl began explaining how Beth had been acting strange all day; distant and nervous. Rick refrained from saying that he hadn't noticed, because he knew that Daryl would most likely feel uncomfortable knowing that he was probably the only one who picked up on such things when it came to Beth. Instead he stayed silent as Daryl continued and told him that the girl had had a dream about Hershel's death, but that she didn't know _who _it was that she had dreamed about.

"What did ya tell her then?" Rick wondered.

"I told her that we'd been attacked and the man died," Daryl admitted. "Then she told me she came to be because I wouldn't sugar coat it."

"And now you feel guilty about not telling her the truth?" Rick asked.

"I don't know, man," Daryl shook his head. "I ain't sure there's ever gonna be a day when I won't feel guilty 'bout that girl."

Rick opened his mouth to speak when the door suddenly opened. They both turned at the same time, only to see Maggie, Glenn and Carol walk in.

"What's Michonne tellin' me 'bout Beth rememberin' somethin'?" Maggie asked, getting straight to the point.

"She remembered Hershel's death," Rick explained, so that Daryl wouldn't have to. "But she doesn't know who Hershel was."

Glenn frowned at that, "You didn't tell her?"

Daryl looked up sharply, disbelief written all over his face. "You woulda told her?" he challenged.

"I don't know," Glenn shrugged. "Depends on how much she remembered."

"She remembered his Goddamn head bein' cut off!" Daryl exclaimed. "_That's _what she remembered!"

"In that case, I probably wouldn't have told her," Glenn agreed, his voice low. He looked over at Maggie who looked at Daryl.

"Maybe it would have been better to tell her? It could have maybe triggered something else," she said, looking at Carol for support, but the other woman merely shrugged.

"I don't know whether it's a good idea," Carol said, giving her opinion. "We should just let her remember things on her own."

"But we all agreed that if she came to us with something, we would tell her the truth, no matter what," Maggie argued, turning to look at Daryl again. Rick took a step toward Daryl as the hunted took one closer to Maggie, staring her down. "You agreed too," she told him, almost angrily.

"What the fuck was I s'posed to say, Maggie?" Daryl asked, his voice raised. "'Sorry, Beth. Your Daddy was killed in front of ya by a mad man with a vendetta against our group?'"

"He was my _father_?"

They all turned sharply at the sound of Beth's voice. The girl was standing in the doorway, her cheeks a little red and her mouth slightly open as she stared back at them.

"Fuck," Daryl swore under his breath, but Rick was close enough to hear him and he honestly couldn't had phrased the situation better himself.

"Beth," Maggie said softly, taking a step toward her sister, but Beth shook her head, backing away. Rick watched as the young blonde turned her attention to Daryl before once again shaking her head, walking out of the room. They all remained quiet and a few seconds later, they heard a door further down the hallway slam shut.

Rick closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the brig of his nose. Sometimes he wished the only thing they had to worry about was being eaten alive by the dead.

-§-

Beth sat on her bed, furiously crossing out notes in her journal, replacing the word 'old man' with 'dad'. She didn't know what she was feeling because everything inside of her was in shambles.

She was upset with Daryl for not just telling her the truth. Did he think she was weak or something? That she couldn't handle it? Sure, the pain in her chest would indicate that she wasn't handling it very well, but she had been feeling it ever since she had first had that dream.

Even though she might not have known who the man had been to her, she had felt and remembered just how much it had hurt to see him be killed. That feeling was now magnified as well as joined by grief for a father she didn't even remember.

She hadn't heard much from the argument that had gone down inside the master bedroom, but she had gotten there just in time to hear Daryl explode at her sister, asking what exactly he had been supposed to tell Beth.

Beth had instantly seen guilt flash in Daryl's eyes when she had looked at him and it had proven to her that her instincts earlier when she had told him about her nightmare had been correct. A part of her had known all along that Daryl had kept something from her again, but she had hoped that she had been wrong.

Of course she hadn't been, and now it hurt to know that Daryl had once again lied, or at least hid a part of the truth from her.

"Lil' Lady?" Morgan's voice was heard from the other side of the door. "Could we talk? I heard what happened."

Beth sighed deeply, standing up as she walked over to her door, opening it without a word. She paused when she saw Maggie standing next to Morgan before turning to shoot a glare at the man. He should know her well enough to know when she didn't want her sister near. The only reason she had opened that door was because she had thought that Morgan was alone. Even if she wanted to know more about her real father, she wasn't ready to talk to her sister about it just yet, since she was still to upset, even though she didn't want to show it.

Wordlessly, she walked back to her bed and sat down, closing her journal up before putting it on her nightstand.

"You okay, Kid?" Morgan asked her as he and Maggie stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Beth shrugged, not really knowing what she was supposed to say. "I heard that you remembered your dad," Morgan stated.

"I remembered a man being _killed,_" Beth retorted, eyes narrowing. "I didn't know he was my father because Daryl withheld that information from me on purpose."

"Beth," Maggie sighed, taking a step forward. "Don't be mad at Daryl."

"_You _were the one who was just telling him that he should have told me the truth!" Beth exclaimed, staring at her sister in disbelief. "You were the one who was mad at him for not telling me!"

"It's not... This is such a complicated situation," Maggie said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"What? You mean that it's completely fucked up that I don't even remember my father being murdered?" Beth deadpanned. "Believe me, I _know_."

Maggie seemed to be taken aback by her choice of words and her sister quickly shook her head. "Beth, no one is saying that," she said. "What I meant to say was that I shouldn't have yelled at Daryl either. It wasn't easy for him to talk to you about our father, because he was close to him too."

"So what? Don't you think I deserved to know?" Beth frowned.

"I think it was wrong of _me_ to try and blame Daryl for not telling you," Maggie confessed. "I know it wasn't easy for him and I know that he was just trying to keep you from coming to me before he had a chance to talk to me and prepare me."

"Did he tell you that?" Beth asked, crossing her arms over her chest, staring her sister down.

"He didn't have to, Beth," Maggie said. "I've known him for years now and despite his tough outer shell, he does everything to protect us."

Beth didn't say anything. She wanted to ask what he had done to try and save her, if she had still ended up dead. How could Maggie stand there and tell her that he cared about them all, if he had told her himself that he and Beth had never been close?

Her mind decided that that was the opportune moment to remind her of her own doubts regarding Daryl. She had known, deep in her heart all along that he had been keeping _something_ from her regarding their past together. Maybe this was it? Maybe it was all about him wanting to protect himself because he actually _had _hurt when she had supposedly died?

If what Maggie was saying was true, Daryl might actually be one of the people who cared the most.

Beth lowered her hands slowly and took a deep breath. Deep down she wanted to both scream and yell, but she knew that it was no use. It wasn't Daryl's fault that she had put him in a bad position. She had been weighing her options all day long until she finally decided just to speak to him, because yes, even if she knew that he had been and maybe still was keeping something from her, he was someone she trusted. She just had a good feeling about him in her gut and so far, her instincts hadn't failed her.

"I'm sorry," Beth finally said. "It was just... It became too much."

"We understand that, lil' Lady," Morgan said softly. "No one meant to keep anything from you. They were just trying to figure out how to talk to you about it."

"It's okay," Beth said, closing her eyes as she willed tears away. She wasn't going to cry in front of them; she wanted them to know that she was strong enough to handle it. Once again she met her sister's eyes, seeing that Maggie wasn't as good as her at keeping her emotions at bay. "I would like to know more about our father," she told Maggie, who nodded, even though a sad smile covered her features.

"I'll leave you two alone," Morgan said, as he started toward the door, but Beth grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"Stay," she told him. "I want you with me. You promised me that you wouldn't leave."

Morgan watched her silently before nodding, sitting down on the armchair in the corner of her room. Beth walked over to Maggie and took her hand, leading her sister to the bed as they both sat down. Maggie seemed to understand why Beth needed Morgan there. The man was the person she had depended on and trusted for seven months straight while she had been both injured and scared. Now, even though she had her family again, he was still a part of her life and she would always need to have him close. He was the only father figure she knew of and Beth didn't want him to leave just because she was about to learn more about her past.

Maggie cleared her throat as Beth took her hand and squeezed gently. "Our father's name was Hershel," she began, a lone tear rolling down her cheek as she started telling Beth of the man she had seen so many times in her dreams, but no longer remembered.

-§-

Daryl was laying on his back when someone knocked on his door.

He nearly growled out loud as he got up and stomped up to it, ready to chew whoever it was that had come to him this late out, but he stopped when he swung the door open, only to reveal Beth standing there. She was in her pajamas once again, hair up in a messy bun, nervously twisting her hands together.

"Can we talk?" she asked. "It'll be quick, I promise."

He eyed her and then looked behind himself at his mess of a small room before turning back again. She seemed to sense his hesitation, so she shook her head lightly, "I don't have to come in, I just have something to say."

Daryl didn't say anything, not entirely sure that he would be able to find the words, but he knew that whatever this conversation was going to be about, he didn't want it to happen outside in the hallway where anyone could overhear them. He turned around and walked back to his bed, not even looking at her as he sat down, but he left the door open.

It was her choice to make, after all.

Beth seemed to make her decision quickly though because she stepped inside his room and closed the door behind her. He still felt guilty over not telling her the entire truth about Hershel, but what had he been supposed to do? Whatever scenario he had tried to imagine, whichever way he had contemplated telling her the truth in, had all resulted in Beth ending up hurt by him. Although, no matter how hard he had tried to protect her, he had still ended up hurting her, if her reaction earlier tonight had been a sign to it.

"You feelin' better?" he asked, not being able to help himself. He was aware of the fact that Morgan and Maggie had gone to talk to Beth after she had stormed away from them and Maggie had told the rest of them that she had told Beth the truth about Hershel. According to Maggie, Beth had proceeded to ask about the rest of their biological family and Maggie had told her both about her mother and about her older brother and how they had died.

"Yeah," Beth nodded, biting her lip. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm not mad at you... For not telling me the truth about Hershel... _Dad_, I mean." She shook her head a little, as if to clear it before continuing, "I understand that I put you in a difficult position, Daryl and I promise that I won't do so again."

It sounded rehearsed and short-clipped, as if she had been repeating the words to herself a thousand times before gathering her courage to knock on his door.

He didn't like it.

"Ya got nothin' to apologize for," he told her slowly. "I made the call not to tell ya the truth 'bout your father. That's on me."

"Doesn't change the fact that I asked you about something that clearly hurt you too," Beth said. She was still standing by the door, leaning against it while he was sitting on his bed. It wasn't about being uncomfortable though, he quickly realized; she looked far more at home in his room that he felt. No, it was about giving him the space he didn't even know that he needed. Yet, Beth seemed to have gotten to know him well enough to know what he needed.

"You cared about my father," Beth stated, her voice confident. "Maggie is convinced that you didn't just send me her way because you were trying to spare her feeling... Yet you claim that you and I weren't even friends before." Her tone was as sharp as her narrowed eyes.

"I respected your father," Daryl said quickly, "and I saw the pain your sister went through after she thought she'd lost _you_. I wasn' gonna remind her 'bout Hershel just because I didn't know what to tell ya."

His lies to Beth just kept piling up, but at least that was half a truth too. He had respected Hershel and he had watched Maggie suffer after losing Beth, but he chose to once again not tell her about his own agony.

"Whatever," Beth mumbled, looking away from him. He could tell that she wasn't fully convinced by what he was saying, and he wondered if the girl would ever just snap at him and call him out on the lies he was sure she knew he was telling. She had grown way too observant not to have noticed them. "It won't happen again," she told him. "From now on, I'll keep my nightmares to myself." She turned around and reached for the handle on the door when he stood up from the bed, moving almost automatically as he reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Beth didn't turn back to look at him, but her breaths came out a little heavier for some reason. His own heart was beating wildly in his chest and it felt as if currents of something were flowing into his fingertips from where he was grasping her wrist. The skin on skin contact was almost too overwhelming, which surprised him, because it wasn't as if he hadn't held her hand before.

Yet, it felt different. Almost like a small make-it-or-break-it moment where he had to prove to her where she had him, or if she even had him at all. He could sense that she was close to pushing him away and just being done with him, for both his sake and her own, but he found himself wanting to be selfish.

"It ain't wrong for ya to open up, Beth," he said, breathing out her name. He could see goosebumps rising on her exposed skin and he wondered whether he was just imagining it, or if he was actually somehow having an effect on her. "I know I didn't tell ya the entire truth before, but I didn't want ya to feel guilty 'bout not rememberin' your old man."

"You were protecting me then?" Beth asked, turning her head so that she could face him again. Daryl swallowed but nodded, nonetheless. "Why?" Beth wondered, her voice this time a mere whisper.

"Mhm..." Daryl mumbled, shrugging lightly. Beth's mouth dropped open a bit as she stared at him. Her eyes seemed to glaze over in that moment and he curiously watched as her eyes flickered across his face before she finally swallowed. Something had just happened, although he wasn't sure what. Beth seemed to be equally confused as him, if not more, but she didn't say anything or ask him again. Instead, she offered him a tired smile, which instantly made him forget about his worries.

"Good night, Daryl," she said, opening the door as he let go of her wrist, the charged moment easing away. He stood in his own doorway as she walked back to her room, looking over at him one last time before she shut the door behind herself, her lower lip clutched nervously between her teeth.

"Good night, Beth," Daryl whispered, knowing very well that she wouldn't be able to hear him anymore, right before he closed the door and went back to his bed, willing his stomach which was doing somersaults to calm down and let him sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: So, I just wanted to quickly say that I originally planned on ending this chapter differently, which would have actually led to Beth and Daryl taking a step back in their relationship. I had planned for him to tell her to go to Maggie next time, which would have made Beth more hesitant to approach him, but as I wrote it, I realized that I didn't want them to take a step back, since they'll go through quite a few things in future chapters... So I hope this was okay with you guys, even though it ended a little...bittersweet in a way?<strong>

**Oh, and also, since I live in Europe, I won't be able to watch the MSP until tomorrow (which is Monday for me), so I'll be staying off of tumblr until then and please, if you read this after the episode, DON'T WRITE ANY SPOILERS IN THE REVIEWS! Thank you for consideration! :)**

**As I said, thank you for all the support and for being so wonderful! I love all of you and I can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter! The next chapter is another one of my favorites and it seems like it's gonna be a long one too! ^^ Thank you for reading! :) xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Note: People, the amount of support I've gotten on this fic is literally breathtaking! Seriously, I am so proud to be a part of this fandom! Thank you so so much for the immense support and the sweet words you keep sending my way. It makes me smile every time someone mentions that they were recommended this fic, so thank you to those of you who keep spreading the word as well.**

**Now, I don't wanna waste your time much more. I have some studying to get done, and this chapter is sort of a sweet one toward the end, but a bit angsty in the middle... Another memory is coming up peeps!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**P.S. Thank you for being so amazing! This story has passed 200 reviews here on ff and I couldn't be more happy! (I'm off to write chapter 13 after I finish my homework! :D)**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 12**

Beth looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed through her hair slowly. Her clothes were on her bed, waiting to be put on but she still thought it was a bit too early to get dressed.

"_Hey there..."_

Beth paused, her hand holding the brush hovering just above the blonde tresses. She narrowed her eyes at herself, the far away sounding voice echoing in her mind still.

"_I hope I'm not interrupting."_

She took a breath, calmly putting her brush back on the table, gripping the edge tightly.

"You are _not _crazy," she whispered to herself, like she had a thousand times when the thing holding back her memories would let go a little, allowing her a small glimpse of things she had been through in the past. She waited for the foreign voice to return, but it didn't and she let out a breath, relaxing immediately.

Ever since she had learned about her father, Hershel, she had been worried about what her brain might let her remember next. Maggie had told her about her brother and her mother and also about where they grew up, but Beth hadn't asked for any details about how they had lived after the Turn. She had only wanted to know the happy things about the people in her family, who were now gone and Maggie had complied, telling her just that.

A week had passed and Beth had gone back to normal again. She still sometimes dreamed about Hershel, but after Maggie told her a bit about the man, her dreams changed to something a bit more happier than his death. Instead, she saw him smiling, happily talking to her or scolding her for running around with Jimmy, who she still didn't remember in detail. It was better dreams though and for that she was glad. She shared some of them with Maggie, while others she would casually mention to Daryl whenever she and he talked. He wasn't very responsive, usually just acknowledging her with a grunt and a small nod or a curious look when he learned something about her that he hadn't expected. It was good though and she was happy.

But she was also restless.

She was tired of being cooped up on the farm for so long and she had had a serious talk with Sasha, who was getting to go on runs more frequently nowadays.

"I would never be able to stay on the farm for so long, Beth," Sasha had told her. "I get that you're antsy, so why not just come along on the next run?"

Beth had brought it up at dinner one night and everyone around the table had paused– everyone but Sasha, that is– and it had only served to annoy Beth even more. Her sister hadn't thought it was a very good idea, but she had looked to Morgan who Beth knew was on her side.

"She can take care of herself," he had told the rest of them and that had been the end of it. No one questioned Morgan anymore when it came to Beth and she was glad for that.

However, she had looked over at Daryl to see his reaction but it had seemed like the infuriating man had gotten awfully interested in picking at his food instead. Beth had tried to get his attention a couple of times during dinner, always trying to force him to make eye-contact, but when he wanted to avoid her, she had noticed that there was nothing that could stop him from doing so.

Naturally, that meant that Beth had just gone to visit him while he had been on watch that night and talked about it then.

"Are you gonna come on the run?" Beth had asked him and he had grunted before nodding. She had suppressed the urge to just roll her eyes at him when she had taken her seat next to him. "Are you coming just because I'm going?" she had wondered, but he hadn't even looked up at her or shown any kind of sign that he had actually heard her. She had waited for a reply, but it had never come, which in turn was an answer all on its own. Rather than saying anything else, she had proceeded to just sit with him until his shift had ended and Rick had come to take his place. Carl's father had given them a curious look, but he hadn't said anything and the two of them had walked in. Before Daryl had gone into his room that night she had bid him a good night and he had finally spoken back, telling her to sleep well.

Today, they would be going on the run.

It was going to be Beth, Daryl, Michonne, Rick and Glenn and Abraham and they would be taking two vehicles with them since they would be going out a bit further. It wouldn't exactly be the first time she'd ever been on a run, since she and Morgan had gone out a couple of times when they had been alone. Although, it would be the first time since her family had found her but it didn't exactly worry her since she had been on hunts all by herself long before that and she had always been able to not mess up or put herself in danger.

"Beth?" she turned around in her chair, looking over at Carol who had just entered her room. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Beth nodded quietly, immediately picking up her brush again.

"You aren't nervous, are you?" Carol asked as she walked further into the room. "May I?" she wondered, motioning for the brush. Beth nodded and offered it to Carol, who took it as she began combing through Beth's tangled up curls. "It would be fine if you were... I know Maggie is," Carol chuckled.

"Maggie needs to learn that I'm not a little kid anymore," Beth stated calmly. "I can take care of myself."

"Oh, I know," Carol nodded. "If you couldn't, you probably wouldn't be alive now."

Beth hummed in reply, thinking back at those first few months after she had woken up. Having not even been able to speak at first had nearly gotten her killed a couple of times because she hadn't been able to warn Morgan in time before walkers were close enough to attack. The man had been alert, sure, but not when they had first gotten to know each other. He had later told her about his wife and his son and she had understood why he hadn't been in his right mind. After all, she hadn't even known about the walkers when she had first woken up. It had all just been a daze.

"When are you going to get dressed?" Carol asked. "The others are already loading up Morgan's truck and Tyreese's jeep with food for you in case you need to take a longer route back."

"Well, they sure ain't gonna need me for the heavy lifting," Beth joked lightly.

"You sure? You got yourself some nice muscles there," Carol retorted, gently squeezing Beth's bicep, which Beth herself had to admit, had gotten a more defined these last couple of months when she'd had to work hard while being alone with Morgan.

"Please," Beth scoffed. "If anything, Daryl should be able to do all the work himself. Have you seen his arms?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Carol stopped brushing her hair for a moment and looked down at her curiously. Beth was worried that she might have crossed some kind of line, admitting that she had indeed been checking out Daryl's biceps when he'd been working around the farm and she blushed a bright red, not being able to bring herself to look Carol in the eyes through the mirror.

That was before Carol actually chuckled again, "They are Godsend, aren't they?"

Beth relaxed a bit, realizing that the woman wasn't teasing her but actually just casually agreeing with her on the matter. She had seen Carol and Daryl talking a few times and noticed that the two of them were close. At first, she had wondered if maybe there was something going on between the two of them, but when she had jokingly said "So, you and Carol," to Daryl one evening when they had been sitting out on the porch together, he had snapped his head up at her and told her sternly that: "There ain't no me and Carol. We're just friends."

She had taken his word for it and the following days, she had begun to see their relationship for what it really was: two friends who cared deeply about each other; a mother who had lost a child once and now acted over-protectively to a man who wasn't much younger than her and a man who loved the woman the way one would love either an older sister or a mother. The observation had made Beth relax a bit, right up until she began questioning just _why_ she would need confirmation that there was nothing going on between Daryl and Carol.

She must have been frowning while she had been thinking, because Carol put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her through her reflection. "Everything is going to be fine today, Beth," the older woman told her, clearly thinking that Beth had been worried about the run rather than the rush of feelings she experienced whenever she was near Daryl.

"Yeah, it's gonna be fine," Beth echoed as she wondered just why she still had a bad feeling in her gut.

-§-

"You be careful out there, okay?" Maggie told Beth for the thousandth time. Daryl suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the older Greene sister, but he knew that her concern was justified. The run they were going on would be to yet unexplored territory, further South from the farm. Usually, they traveled North whenever they needed supplies, but they had been planning on checking things out the other way as well. It had just been a pure coincidence that Beth had requested coming along on this particular run, and even though he knew very well that the girl could indeed take care of herself and hold her own out there against walkers, he still worried a bit, if not as much as Maggie.

"Yeah, yeah," Beth said, zipping up her jacket as she nodded at her sister before embracing her. "Don't let Carl and Noah anywhere near the three knives I left behind though, okay? I don't want them poking someone's eyes out just because they thing they've gotten good at the knife throwin'."

"Hey! You told me I was getting better," Carl accused, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"I wasn't lyin'," Beth countered. "I just don't need the two of you dulling my knives just because I can't take them all with me."

"Well, I'll keep him away from them," Noah told her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Beth rolled her eyes at him before turning to Carl, "And you keep an eye on him." Then she paused for a second, "Actually, on second though, maybe I should have just locked my room up."

"Don't worry, lil' Lady," Morgan told her as he stepped forward and embraced her. Despite knowing that it was nothing but a fatherly hug, Daryl looked away, putting his crossbow inside Morgan's truck as he moved to the driver's seat. He wasn't being jealous, he told himself, over and over again. He was just being..._something_.

-§-

"I'm trustin' you to keep them away, Morgan," Beth told the older man as she pulled away from him before hugging Maggie too. "And don't worry, Mags. I'll keep your husband safe," Beth winked teasingly.

"Hey! I can keep myself safe just fine," Glenn protested as he kissed Maggie softly.

"I'm just sayin'," Beth shrugged, a teasing smirk on her face. She turned toward the jeep, where Rick, Michonne and Abraham were already seated. Michonne seemed to silently be asking her if she was fine and Beth nodded curtly before moving to Morgan's truck, that Daryl would be driving. She climbed in, scooting closer to Daryl to allow some room for Glenn. Looking up at the hunter, she noticed that his hands were clutching the steering-wheel tightly. She frowned at him, putting her hand on top of his which brought his attention to her. They hadn't exactly been initaiating any physical contact since the night she had told him that she wasn't mad about him not telling her about Hershel, and the simple, hopefully reassuring, touch seemed to have surprised him.

"We'll be fine," she told him softly.

He nodded and swallowed, "I ain't worried 'bout that."

"What are you worryin' about then?" she frowned.

He smirked, "Listenin' to Glenn talkin' about nothin' in particular for hours."

Beth let out a giggle, surprising even herself as she covered her mouth with her hand, but the sound seemed to only bring a smile to Daryl's face. She liked seeing him smile, even if it was a rare occurrence.

She forced herself to look away from him though, when Rick made his way over from the jeep. Daryl rolled down the window on his side and Rick looked in at the two of them. "You guys gonna be okay with following us? Abe's got the map that Eugene marked out for us," he explained.

"Sure thing," Daryl nodded. "We'll make a signal if we need to pull over."

"If we see any cars along the way, we should stop to siphon gas," Rick told them.

"Got it," Daryl nodded again. Rick turned his gaze toward Beth and she waited for him as well to ask her whether she would be fine, but the man surprised her by only offering her a nod and a smile before walking back to the jeep and getting in. Daryl rolled up the window and Beth leaned back in her seat. When she heard Daryl groan, she turned her attention to him, but he was glaring right past her.

He rolled down his window again and stood in his seat, sticking his head outside the truck. "Glenn, get your tongue outta Maggie's throat and let's get goin'!" he called out. Beth instantly turned her attention to her sister, who was indeed locked in a passionate embrace with her husband. The others seemed to have retreated back to the house and only the married couple were left outside. Beth felt her face heat up and she looked away, turning to look at Daryl instead. Of course, she quickly realized what a mistake that had been because once Daryl got seated again, he turned to look at her as well and somehow, they ended up with their faces just a couple of inches apart. He moved back so quickly, clearly not having expected the sudden closeness and he actually hit the back of his head against the window.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head, his cheeks coloring a bit as he looked anywhere but at Beth.

Beth once again covered her mouth with her hand, looking at him in concern as she tried hard not to laugh at the silliness of the situation. "You okay?" she asked him and he grunted something in reply that she didn't quite catch, but she did notice how the tips of his ears turned a bit red too. Finally, Glenn got into the car next to Beth, mumbling something about Daryl always embarrassing him with his bluntness around people. Daryl seemed to ignore him though as he started the truck, following after the jeep that Abraham was driving. Beth once again leaned back in her seat, not wanting to think about the fact that her right side was brushing against Daryl every time she moved a bit. She swallowed, the close proximity suddenly making her a bit nervous. On her left, Glenn was waving at Maggie and Beth sighed deeply as she hoped quietly to herself that this run would go all right.

-§-

Daryl parked the truck next to the jeep that had stopped. He opened his door and stepped out, shooting a questioning look at Michonne who was casually leaning against the jeep.

"Why the hell we stoppin'?" he asked her.

"Abraham needed to relieve himself," she replied coolly. "He and Rick should be back in a few. If you need to go to the bathroom, you should do so now. I'm not sure we're gonna be stopping again later." Daryl turned around and looked over at Glenn and Beth who had gotten out of the truck as well. Glenn hurried off after Rick and Abraham while Beth remained standing by the truck, extending her arms up in the air as she walked toward Daryl and Michonne.

Daryl tried very hard not to notice the way her shirt rid up as she stretched, rolling her shoulders as she pulled them down again, but it was difficult not to notice the creamy skin and the way her flat stomach seemed to be a little more defined than he would have expected it to be.

Not that he had been thinking about Beth's stomach.

"Hey, Michonne," Beth smiled softly, coming to lean against the jeep next to the other woman. "How's it going with Rick and Abraham?"

"Just fine," Michonne said. "I've been trying to ignore the two of them discussing which football teams they used to root for before all that stopped mattering."

"Sounds like fun," Beth said, although it didn't sound like she meant it at all. It did make Michonne's lips quirk up though.

"Hilarious," the woman agreed sarcastically.

"Why didn't you go with the other guys, Daryl?" Beth asked then, turning her attention to him instead.

"I ain't gotta piss," he told her, which was part of the truth, he supposed. To be quite honest, the need to take a bathroom break wasn't that big although his need to keep Beth in sight was kind of overwhelming him a bit. He wasn't sure whether he should be leaving her alone, despite knowing that she technically _wouldn't _be alone.

"You go ahead," Michonne told him, seeming to understand what his real problem was. "I'll keep Beth company and when you and the other men return, she and I will go as well."

Daryl eyed her for another moment before finally nodding, walking away. He glanced back one last time though, hating that he was leaving Beth behind, but he knew very well that she wouldn't exactly enjoy accompanying him on a bathroom break. He found Rick and the others a little further down the road, a dead walker by their feet, but not one of them seemed very bothered by it. In a way, it was kind of a scary thought how none of them were even scared by the walkers anymore. Daryl wasn't sure he even remembered a time when there wasn't a walker somewhere and it was a horrifying thought. Then again, he had always had a bleak look on life, never expecting himself to be any better than Merle or his father. Sure, deep down he might have _wanted _to be different, which was probably why his brother had always called him 'the sweet one', although it was difficult to be sweet in a world where everyone judged you instantly because of your surname or the way you looked.

He unzipped his pants, trying to remove the thoughts of his old life out of his mind. After relieving himself, he quickly zipped up and headed back toward the cars. He must have been lost in his thoughts for a little too long, because Michonne and Beth were just returning from the other side of the road where they too must have taken a break.

"I'm serious," Glenn was saying when Daryl finally got close enough to hear. "It's at times like this that I miss the radio. Music could always fill awkward silences and it would be a blessing right about now."

Daryl frowned, "What are ya goin' on 'bout now?"

Glenn looked at him and then at Beth who had also stopped to curiously eye him. "I'm not going on about anything," Glenn shrugged. "I'm just saying that I miss music."

"Well," Michonne said, "you could always just sing to yourself, I suppose." Her tone was dripping in amusement and Daryl had to snort.

"Please, don't give him any ideas," he told Michonne, who chuckled lightly. Abraham laughed and even Rick offered a snicker before looking down the road, narrowing his eyes a bit. Daryl looked that way as well, seeing a couple of figures moving in the distance, but they seemed to be going slow. It would most likely take the walkers a while until they got to them and by then they would have started driving again.

"Oh, come on," Beth smiled lightly. "Have you ever heard him sing? Maybe he's good?" She turned toward Glenn, "Are you?"

"I sound about as good as a cat being run over by a truck," he admitted sheepishly. "Maybe you could sing something?" he suggested and Daryl froze.

His gaze moved toward Beth, who actually threw her head back as she laughed wholeheartedly. Her shoulders shook as she giggled and she finally shook her head. "I don't sing," she snorted at Glenn, a wide smile on her face nonetheless. "What's the point of singing nowadays anyway?"

Daryl's heart clenched at her words.

She didn't sing.

_'Keep singing...'_

He swallowed thickly at the memory that came crashing in and he was forced to look away so that he wouldn't show anything on his face. At first, her three-worded sentence had just hurt him, but then, he started panicking instead. What if Glenn said something about her and her love for music? What if anyone told her that she used to sing a lot, and she looked at him and just _knew_, without even having to ask, that she was the girl he had told her about that night?

Daryl looked over at Glenn and gave him a pointed look that he hoped the other man would understand. A second passed by when Glenn finally looked back at Beth and said: "Well that's too bad. I figured girl's had good singing voices."

It was one of the lamest excuses Daryl had ever heard, but he hadn't expected a better cover up by Glenn while he was under pressure.

"Does that mean that I too should have a good singing voice, according to your logic?" Michonne asked. Her questioned eased the tension around them a bit, which Daryl was thankful for. He looked down the road, at the walkers who were slowly approaching them.

"We should get goin'," he told the others.

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "Especially if we wanna get back to the farm before nightfall. We still have a few more miles to go."

"Let's go," Daryl said, starting back for the truck. He got in without saying anything else and when Beth and Glenn followed him in, he sensed Beth's eyes on him.

_'I don't sing.'_

He nearly cringed when he though of her saying that, but instead, he turned the key in the ignition and drove after Rick and the others who had already pulled out on the road.

-§-

Beth wasn't really sure what it was that had changed with Daryl after their small stop, but she was certain that it had had something to with Glenn talking about music and singing. The moment her sister's husband had mentioned it, she had for some reason looked over at Daryl. A pained expression seemed to have crossed his face, but the second she had seen it, it had disappeared. She suspected it might have something to do with the girl he had cared about; the one she was now almost certain that a part of him had actually loved. Glenn's comment must have been a reminder of her to Daryl and she felt sorry for his pain.

That however didn't excuse his change in behavior towards her. When they had gotten to the small mall that had been their destination, he hadn't said one word to her as they went through store after store together. They had all paired off two and two and she had automatically moved to stand next to Daryl when Rick had suggested it. It wasn't that she didn't trust the others, but she knew that Rick and Michonne worked well together which meant that she had assumed that the two of them would want to check the place out with each other. She still didn't know Abraham very well since the man was always working around the farm or hanging around Rosita, but she knew that she wouldn't have been comfortable going off alone with him if she didn't even know what would be okay to talk to him about. She both trusted and knew Glenn well enough by now, but she had still been drawn to Daryl, mostly because of the evasiveness he had displayed when they had arrived at their destination.

Beth was sure that his coldness had been the main reason that she had paired up with him. She wanted to know what had gotten him so twisted up inside that he could barely look at her and the only way she saw herself finding out was by getting him alone.

Daryl turned on his flashlight as Beth took out her large hunting knife out of her belt, preparing for any stray walker that might turn up. The mall seemed to be mostly empty though, so she wasn't very worried. On the other hand, the most empty-looking places sometimes turned out to be the most dangerous ones.

They rounded another corner in the food store, showing yet another empty aisle. Beth began relaxing a bit, scanning the shelves for any food that might still be useful.

"Do you think we're gonna find anythin' useful here?" Beth asked, dusting off some of the cans as Daryl stopped. He didn't answer her and his shoulders were tense, making Beth sigh loudly. "Are you gonna tell me what's botherin' you or are we going to pretend that everything is fine?"

"Nothin' is botherin' me," Daryl muttered, still not looking at her as he glanced around the corner.

Beth rolled her eyes, "You haven't looked at me since–"

Daryl held a finger to his mouth as he turned toward her. He motioned for her to remain quiet as he moved around the corner, his crossbow raised and loaded, prepared for any kind of attack. Beth held her breath, her hand on her knife while her other hand rested on one of the thin throwing knives she had with her.

The sound of cans falling to the floor put her in motion and she rounded the corner without even hesitating. "Daryl!" she exclaimed in a half-yell, her knife held high as she moved. She was startled when her eyes met with Daryl's stormy blue ones, her breath catching in her throat as he caught the wrist of her hand that was holding the knife that she had been close to putting into him.

"It was just a rat," he told her, slowly lowering her arm. She breathed heavily as she blinked up at him, narrowing her eyes when she saw his lip twitching.

"You're an ass for scarin' me," she told him, pushing him away lightly. He took a step back without much fuss, but there was still amusement written on his face.

"I scared ya?" he asked then, his smirk turning into a frown.

"I thought you were attacked or somethin'," she shrugged.

"No need to worry 'bout me," he told her and once again, she suppressed the urge to just roll her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to say something else when she saw Rick and Michonne entering the store from behind Daryl. Rick held up his hand in a small wave as the two moved closer.

"Ya find anythin' useful?" Rick asked then when they were close enough.

"We were still lookin' through the store for any biters," Daryl informed him. "Thought I heard somethin' but it was just a rat."

Michonne looked over at Beth, "You okay?"

Beth nodded, not wanting to admit that she had almost freaked out for a second because she thought that Daryl was in danger. Of course, she was well aware of the fact that Daryl could take care of himself, but she still remembered that day in the woods when he had been attacked by several walkers at the same time, nearly losing the fight. If she hadn't been there that day, or if she had gotten there too late, Daryl wouldn't be standing there today.

"I'm fine," Beth said silently as she turned around to walk back to the shelf she had been inspecting earlier. "Daryl's just paranoid, hearing things that aren't- _Ah_!" she gasped when someone took a hold of her and pulled them close to her body, twisting her around in their arms. She dropped her knife before her hands lifted to her attacker's arm that had wound itself around her throat. At first she thought that she was dead for sure, that a walker had gotten her, but the person holding her suddenly chuckled, his tone low and his hot breath against her ear.

"Beth!" she heard Daryl exclaim as he, Michonne and Rick appeared around the corner, weapons raised.

"Hmm..." the person holding her hummed lightly. "What do we have here, boys?" the man drawled, revealing that he was indeed human. "How 'bout the three of you put your weapons down an' me an' my boys won't hurt this pretty little thing?"

Beth winced, turning her head away from the man holding her as he pressed his nose into her neck, inhaling deeply.

_The man pressed himself against her tightly. Beth blinked up at him as he smirked down at her._

Her eyes snapped open and she began struggling against the man who held her in a tight grip, but he only laughed again.

"Seems like we found ourselves a fighter!" another man behind her exclaimed. "The Boss might like her. She's pretty."

"The Boss has had enough ladies," a third man said darkly. "We should get some action for once... He don't have to know anythin' 'bout it."

Beth looked over at Daryl, Rick and Michonne who had been forced to put their weapons on the floor. Behind them, stood three other men, guns pointed at their heads. She didn't know when they had put their weapons down, or how she had missed the other three men that were in front of her. All she knew was that she needed to get away from the man holding her and that the situation was bringing _something _back to her; something that she wasn't sure she _wanted _to remember.

"_Hey there. I hope I'm not interrupting."_

Beth shut her eyes tightly again as the same voice from this morning returned to her.

"_Dawn was just asking for her key-"_

"_Was she now?" the man asked her, circling closer, ever so slowly. Beth stared at him wide-eyed, glancing at the door, knowing that there was no way for her to get away from him fast enough without seeming suspicious. "See, I was just with Dawn... And I don't seem to remember that," the man told her. "It's okay," he then said, stepping even closer. "She don't have to know. _Maybe_," he drawled, taking another step closer, "there's another solution? A little win-win for both of us..." he suggested, pushing her against the desk behind her as he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. "So how 'bout it, Bethy? We gonna work somethin' out here?" he asked her and she found herself nodding._

"Look at her!" one of the men laughed. "She's fuckin' scared of us! She can barely breathe!"

Beth forced herself to take another shaky breath, tears welling in her eyes as she willed the memories away. She needed to stay focused so that she could find a way to get out of this situation.

"_Good girl_..._" the man commended her, pulling her close to her body again as his hand traveled up under her shirt_.

"Don't you _dare _fuckin' touch her!" Daryl yelled suddenly, bringing her back to reality. She stared at him wide-eyed as the man still holding her faltered a little with his grip on her before releasing another laugh.

"Ain't no fuckin' way we're just gonna let a pretty girl like her walk away," he said. "Jamie an' Adam here behind me haven't had a lady in months! The Boss had all of 'em reserved for himself... Only the ugly ones are left, but what can one do, right? If ya wanna fuck ya gotta take what's given to ya!" Once again, the man let out a bark of laughter. "Jamie's right though... What the Boss don't know, won't hurt him..."

His other hand which wasn't holding Beth in place began traveling down her side, moving toward her flat stomach, down to the button of her jeans. She struggled against him, her brain finally realizing the seriousness of the situation as she kicked her foot back, effectively kicking him in the shin.

"_Ouch!_ Dammit woman!" the man yelled as she turned around in his grip, butting her forehead against his nose, hearing a satisfying _crack_. He stumbled back, clutching his already bleeding nose as Beth grabbed one of her throwing knives, throwing it at one of the men who had just raised his gun toward her. It connected with his shoulder, making him howl in pain and then, before she could throw another one, an arrow had embedded itself in his forehead and he had fallen down dead. The second man raised his hands in surrender, but he too was quickly killed by another bold flying at him, hitting him right in the chest. Beth hurriedly walked to him, pushing her knife into his head, making sure that he wouldn't come back as a walker. She turned around and saw that Michonne, Rick and Daryl had gotten the three men behind them taken care of; she didn't as much as cringe when she saw one of them decapitated on the floor, blood slowly spreading around the body.

"What tha fuck is goin' on here?" Abraham's voice rang out in the store. He walked toward them with a limping Glenn next to him and he seemed to have a bruise forming around one of his eyes. Beth looked over at Daryl and the other two members of her group, but then she saw that Daryl was walking with determined steps toward the man who had been holding her, who was now clutching his nose as he laid on the ground. She was amazed by the hunter's strength once again when he pulled the man up, pushing him against the shelf. It was the first time she actually _saw _what her attacker looked like. Up until then everything had been a blur. He was older than Daryl, clearly, his shaggy light brown hair already graying with age and greasy from not being washed for too long. There were wrinkles around his eyes, as if he had spent too much time squinting at the sun and his teeth were yellowed as he gritted them while Daryl held him up against the shelf. The man's clothes were torn and tattered, proving that he had been out in the world for a longer period. As Daryl held pressed him against the shelf, Beth couldn't help but think that he looked smaller somehow, and a lot more scared.

"I told ya not to fuckin' touch her," Daryl growled, dangerously low as he glared into the man's eyes. The man stared at him with horror in his face and a beat passed when his eyes suddenly glazed over and his head fell forward limply. Daryl took a step back and Beth saw Daryl's bloodied hunting knife still sticking into the man's heart. He pulled it out and then quickly pressed it into the man's forehead, blood oozing out, covering his hand as he did.

Daryl pulled back with a disgusted grunt and let the body drop to the floor before he wiped his hand against his pants, removing the blood that had gotten on him.

"We were fuckin' ambushed by three guys in the fuckin' clothes shop!" Abraham continued to bellow. "They got a good punch in before Glenn and I could take care of 'em though."

"They dead too?" Rick asked and Abraham nodded.

"Weren't no walkers anywhere, but people have gotten fucked up," he said. "Jesus Christ..." The man shook his head as Glenn looked over at Beth worriedly.

"Beth? You okay?" he asked, but his voice sounded distant in Beth's ears.

_The scene with the man flashed again. She could feel his hands moving up her skin, his touch making her squirm away from him._

_Then, she saw Noah. Noah falling from above her._

_Darkness and then walkers everywhere._

_There was ringing in her ears._

Beth let out a loud gasp as she stared open-mouthed at Glenn. Then, she turned her attention elsewhere, toward Daryl, who was staring at her. In two large strides though, he had moved toward her and she didn't even know why she didn't as much as flinch when he pulled her into his arms. Instead, her arms wound tightly around his neck as she pushed herself up on her toes so that she could hold him better. His forehead was against her shoulder and she couldn't help but think that it must be hurting his neck considering that she had her face pressed against his chest. One of his hands was buried in her hair, and she hadn't even noticed it until his grip on her tightened just a bit, at the same moment that she tugged him a bit closer, breathing in through her nose, hoping that his scent would somehow ground her again.

For all that Beth knew, they might have been standing there for hours and when they finally pulled apart from their embrace, she looked up at him, willing herself to calm down. She felt a lot better after Daryl's surprising show of affection. Her hands had been shaking before but now, she felt more grounded. She seemed to have needed that hug more than she would have ever suspected and Daryl looked quite relieved himself that she was okay. Her hands were still on his arms and his hands were on her elbows, much like they had been that day in the backyard when he had come to keep an eye on her and Eugene.

Beth saw the exact moment that Daryl realized what he had done and she felt it underneath her fingertips because the muscles in his arms tensed at the same moment that he took a step away from her, letting both of their hands fall to their respective sides again.

"I'm fine," Beth finally spoke, her voice a bit hoarser than it had been earlier, probably due to the man's tight grip around her throat earlier. She cleared her throat, looking over at Rick and Michonne, at anyone but Daryl really, because she knew that the hunter was currently glaring at his own feet, questioning his life's choices or something. "Why didn't we know these men were here? How did we not hear them coming?"

First and foremost, she was frustrated with herself for being so reckless, getting caught off guard. She had always minded her surroundings when she had been on runs with Morgan and no walker had ever been able to get the better of her. Then again, those men hadn't been walkers. They had been _bad people, _who had purposely stayed hidden somehow.

"Daryl said that he'd heard a sound," Michonne reminded them. "They could have just been hiding in one of the other aisles," she said, sounding disgusted as she glared down at the body of the man who had been holding Beth.

"They kept goin' on 'bout some 'boss' of theirs," Daryl then said, looking up at them, but keeping his eyes away from Beth.

"That means there's probably a bigger group somewhere in this area," Rick nodded slowly. "In other words, we take what we've found so far and get the hell outta this place."

"Couldn't agree more," Glenn said. "I grabbed some clothes for Judith. Should be good enough for Winter, whenever it comes around."

"Thanks, Glenn," Rick said, patting the man on the back lightly, but Glenn winced, complaining that one of the men had gotten a couple of hits in on his ribs.

"From now on, we stay away from the South," Abraham told them. "We'll only go on runs up North. Don't wanna risk any of these bastards getting a whiff of us and followin' us back to the farm."

"Couldn't agree more," Michonne said, echoing Glenn's words from earlier as she walked over to the shelves and began shoving cans into bags, not even checking the date beforehand. "We'll just throw away whatever we can't use when we get to the farm. The cans can be used for other things as well."

Beth nodded, but her eyes finally moved to Daryl, who finally seemed to be looking at her again. He offered her nothing more than a curt nod before he too began collecting things for them to bring back to the farm. His nod seemed to only make Beth's gut twist and turn, but in a somewhat good way.

Or at least, it was much better than the way her newly brought back memories had twisted her up inside.

-§-

Glenn fell asleep quickly once they began their drive back to the farm.

They had worked quickly to gather all the things they thought they might be able to use, not even getting rid of the bodies of their assailants before finally just driving out of that hell hole. There was a bad feeling in Daryl's gut though, when he thought about the way those men had talked to each other, mentioning that there were more of them somewhere. He knew that they would have to tell everyone back at the farm about what happened on the run and make sure that no one ever planned any more trips that led them South. It still made him uneasy though, knowing that there was a risk that the leader of those men might come looking for answers as to why they were dead. They would simply have to make sure to lay low for a while and not draw any unnecessary attention to the farm.

It was quiet in the car now, which made it a bit easier for Daryl to think through everything that had happened and everything that could have gone wrong. Those men had been armed with guns and he was sure that he could have gotten shot at least a dozen times just because he had lost his shit when he had seen that piece of shit touching Beth. He, Michonne and Rick had only been lucky that Beth had managed to catch them all off guard when she had finally gathered herself, which had led to them all being too surprised to see his group's attacks coming.

He remembered the way Beth had been practically hyperventilating as that greasy man had held her and touched her. Daryl had seen something in her eyes then, just like he had seen her eyes glaze over a few times when the two of them had been alone. It had been the only sign that showed that she was remembering something from her past. She always got that hazy, distant look in her eyes, although this time, whatever she had remembered, must have scared her in some way or at least caught her so off guard that she hadn't been able to break free of the man's grip.

Daryl knew that Beth was strong; she had survived a fucking gunshot to the head for Christ's sake. Although, maybe that had had to do with luck more than strength? Still, it didn't change the fact that she was a survivor, like the rest of them. They had all been living in this crazy world for far too long now, surviving while people around them died. Out of all of them, in Daryl's mind at least, Beth was one of them who had been through the most, even though she might not remember all of it.

Despite the fact that she seemed to be a lot tougher than she had been when the two of them were alone, Daryl couldn't help but sometimes see the girl he had known before. When she said something sometimes, it reminded him of something the old Beth would say, or when she simply looked at him silently, it would remind him of the girl who had helped him burn down his past. However, the changes were also there. She _was _a lot tougher and she _was _fierce, not taking anyone'sshit anymore. It wasn't limited to him, like it had been when the two of them had been alone. Instead, she now told everyone what she thought without even contemplating that they might not listen to her, because she knew very well that she did have authority on the farm. Her thoughts mattered and as far as Daryl could tell, she was aware of that.

His reaction earlier, when he had seen her eyes move toward him, seeking him out just as some memories of hers seemed to have stumbled into her mind, had been pure instinct. The moment he had seen her distraught face, he had thought of that day outside the moonshine shack when he had been the one upset and she had comforted him by embracing him, showing more emotion toward him than anyone had ever shown before. He had walked up to her, reached for her, trying to keep her from falling apart in that mall without even thinking what the others around them might think. She had held onto him too though and when her arms had wrapped around his neck, he hadn't been able to keep himself from just holding her tighter against himself. When he thought back, he realized that his actions could have made her uncomfortable, considering that it was the touch of that man that had brought whatever memory she had remembered back. Whatever it was that she had remembered, had shook her and he knew that she could have received his touch badly.

But she hadn't.

She had held him back just as tightly instead.

Daryl couldn't help but glance sideways at her, where she sat beside him. Her eyes were set on the road ahead of them, but he could see a thousand thoughts working their way in and out of her brain. He wanted to say something to her, to make sure that she was okay again, but he didn't know how to ask without making her uncomfortable. The idea of reaching out and touching her arm or something did cross his mind, but he decided against it when he remembered that he might have just been lucky that she had needed comfort from someone she knew back inside that store.

If Glenn was awake, he might have been able to start some kind of conversation or something, but the man was exhausted and a little injured from their attack. Michonne had checked him over and she had been sure that he had a bruised rib or something, since the men who had attacked him and Abraham had kicked him there when they had tried to get the better of them.

Although Glenn was asleep, so Daryl wouldn't be able to get his help to start a conversation with Beth, and they still had about two more hours of driving ahead of them.

He didn't think he could handle two more hours of silence though, which was strange all on its own considering that Daryl had always been a man who had enjoyed the quietness. His eyes once again drifted to Beth, who was now looking down at her lap, her fingers playing with the cross-bracelet she had around her wrist. From what he could tell, she was still thinking about what had happened and he just wanted her to forget about it for a moment at least.

"Hmm..." he cleared his throat before he began humming a bit. His focus remained on the road, even though he felt Beth's gaze move to him as he kept humming a song he didn't even remember the name of. All he knew was that it was the same song that she had played for him in the funeral home, when he had been laying in that casket.

"You're humming," Beth pointed out softly. He glanced at her and nodded, but didn't stop humming. She turned on her side a bit, so that she could lean her head against the seat and watch him driving, her back slightly turned toward Glenn who was leaning against the door, snoring softly.

Daryl couldn't sing for shit, although humming didn't necessarily need any musical talent anyway. He was sure that his humming sounded a bit rough though and he was trying to do it as quietly as possible so that he wouldn't wake Glenn up. He felt a bit awkward though, since it wasn't something he would normally do, but the idea had just seemed good when he had thought of it a mere minute ago.

"Why are you humming, Daryl?" Beth whispered tiredly. His heart clenched a bit when he noticed just how broken she sounded too and it made him stop his humming altogether. He had wanted to make her feel better and he had been hoping that it might make her remember a better time, when she had actually been happy.

Or at least, she had seemed happy, but Daryl wasn't sure he would even know if she had truly been so.

"Don't stop," she told him then. "Keep humming..."

He licked his lower lip, not being able to help himself. "I thought my humming annoyed you," he said, his voice low and gravely as he replayed that conversation they had had in the funeral for the thousandth time since he had thought that he had lost her forever.

"Well, there ain't no jukebox," she shrugged before freezing up. Her response seemed to have come purely on reflex, and he forced himself not to react, despite the small smile that was tugging on his lips. It occurred to him that that memory, even if she hadn't gotten it back completely, might still be somewhere inside of her mind. He took his eyes off the road for just a moment to look at her face, hoping he would see some kind of recognition there.

Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, her shoulders still tense but she seemed to be staring right through him. It looked like she was remembering a part of it, maybe, but he wouldn't be sure until she actually said something about it, which he doubted that she would considering the day that she had had.

"Thought ya said there was no point in singin'," he said and his voice seemed to reel her back to reality.

"Well, yeah," she replied lamely. "But that was before I realized that you were a professional hummer," she joked then, a small smile on her lips.

"'Professional hummer', huh?" he mused, his own lips tugging up again of their own accord. "Well, I'll charge by the hour from now on then."

"Come on, Daryl," she said, lightly touching his arm. "I'm your biggest fan right now, cut me a deal or something."

He didn't look at her, but he thought of her hand on his arm and figured that it was a good thing that she had been the one to initiate physical contact between them after everything that had happened. It meant that she still felt comfortable around him, which he took as a win, knowing that the outcome of today's events could have caused her to pull away from them all.

"Fine," he finally said. "First show's free if ya don't tell anyone 'bout it. Don't want 'em all linin' up to hear me hummin' some shit song."

"If people start linin' up," Beth said, "I'll make sure to tell 'em that I'm your manager and I'll charge 'em an extra portion of potatoes in exchange for you humming all the shit songs you know."

He suppressed another smile, wondering silently to himself how he could be smiling after all the things that had happened today and all the things that had come close to happening. If Beth hadn't pulled away from that man, or if he and the others hadn't gotten the other men under control, he was certain that the men would have taken their turn on Beth.

The mere thought of it made anger flare up inside of him as the whole scene played out in his mind again. Then he remembered the way he had acted and the things he had spoken, threatening the man who had been holding her. He was sure that Beth must be thinking about it or at least that she had thought about it, unless of course she hadn't even heard him say it considering that she had been so panicked due to remembering something.

"Thank you for today," she said silently, almost as if she had read his mind. "And for this. For making me feel better."

"It's nothin'," he told her, feeling his face heat up a bit. He was actually glad now that it had gotten dark outside, so that she wouldn't be able to see the redness he was sure was coloring his face.

"It is," she insisted. "You made me feel better by _humming_, Daryl. Maybe there is a reason to keep singing after all..."

It was more of a statement than it was a question and it made a warm feeling spread inside of Daryl to hear her say it. Had he known that it would only take him humming something in order to try and make her feel better after such an eventful day, he would have actually maybe even sung something to her and risked her ears being permanently damaged or something.

He could tell that she still was a bit unbalanced after everything, but as she closed her eyes when he continued to hum, there was a small smile on her lips. After a while, he was sure that he could hear her humming along to the song, but then he figured it might just be his imagination or wishful thinking, because it seemed like Beth was actually asleep.

Once again, she proved him wrong though, startling him when she reached over and put her hand above his, her thumb brushing his knuckles lightly before she moved her hand to his arm instead, resting it on his upper arm as she moved a little closer to him. Her cold nose pressed against his shoulder and he heard her exhale deeply before her breathing finally evened out and she relaxed against him.

He continued to drive, not caring that it got a tad more difficult to use the gearshift, because Beth was finally asleep and relaxed by his side.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Yes, yes, yes! I know! Before anyone asks, no, Beth did not remember the whole funeral home, her singing to Daryl conversation. Her reply to him came as a reflex and she got sort of a "deja vu" feeling, if that explains it. But yeah, it means a lot that she replied that way, because it means that her memories are still somewhere in there! :) I also know that Daryl isn't much for singing (or at least in my mind he isn't ^^) and him humming for Beth was just something that came to me late at night... Especially after I broke Daryl's heart with Beth saying that she doesn't sing. I felt the need to sorta make up for it and well, I hope you liked it. :)<strong>

**The chapter wasn't supposed to end like this, but I pushed a few things around so the original ending of this chapter will be in the next one instead, which is also Bethyl filled and we'll also see Noah make a return! After that memory, Beth needs to have a conversation with him...**

**Hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave a comment and I'll do my best to write as quickly as possible so that I'll be able to update on Sunday! :)**

**Love you all! xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Note: Hey guys! Quick note here: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Your response always amazes me and it truly means a lot to me.**

**I just want to clarify something real quick: Beth knows that her last name is Greene and she knows the last names of everyone in the group, including Daryl. I just never wrote a scene about it, but I did mention that Tara (who will be making a come back in the next chapter btw) told her about the people in the group.**

**And regarding the bad guys in this story, they ****will**** return, but not any time soon. When they do come back, however, they will be dealt with in, like, one chapter because I don't want to drag that sub-plot out since this story is mainly just focused on Team Family bonding with Beth again as well as Beth and Daryl's relationship building up from scratch again. I hope that will be okay with you guys! :)**

**Now, please enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>In The Blink of an Eye (Hear The Beat of My Heart)<strong>

**Chapter 13**

The morning after the run Beth woke up with a massive head ache and a sore throat. She groaned as she sat up in bed and stretched a bit before rubbing two of her fingers against her temple. As she got dressed, pulling on her ripped jeans she glanced at herself in the mirror, suppressing a gasp when she saw that there was some bruising across her collarbones and around her throat, where the man had grabbed her yesterday on the run. She traced one of the bruises with her index finger, knowing that Maggie would surely go crazy if she saw it, before pulling on her gray hoodie, which would help cover it up.

Last night when they had returned to the farm, Maggie, Carol, Rosita and Morgan had been waiting up for them. Beth had been asleep when Maggie had rushed to the car, but Daryl had gently woken her by shaking her shoulder. As soon as Beth had realized that she had been sleeping while leaning against Daryl, her face had heated up and she had been glad that it was too dark outside for him to actually see her blush. She was grateful for the fact that Daryl hadn't commented on it though, because if she were to be frank, she had to admit that she would have had no idea whatsoever as to what kind of excuse she could use. It was one thing admitting to herself that she had felt comfortable and at peace with Daryl so close by and that him humming to her had lulled her into a dreamless sleep, but it was an entirely different thing to tell him that. She was certain that he would have been embarrassed by it and she was afraid that he might push her away. Daryl clearly wasn't the type of person who just walked around humming, so she was sure that he had done it just for her.

But why would he do that?

Why would he do something that he wasn't comfortable with, only so that she would find some kind of calm and peace? The fact that he would do such a thing for _her_, made something inside of her stir that she couldn't quite grasp yet. It had been such a sweet gesture, so unexpected, that it had warmed her all over. She recalled the embrace the two of them had shared in that store; after all the bad men had been killed and Beth had remembered Noah falling and she had somehow finally gotten her mind back to reality. Looking at Daryl had been a reflex and she didn't know whether him striding up to her and hugging her had been an instinctive act on his behalf too. If it mattered, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had needed it more than anything at that moment and Daryl had been the only thing that had kept her from falling apart completely.

Beth still hadn't gotten all the pieces of the puzzle together though. The memory she had gotten back was only partial, but during the night, she had dreamed a bit more clearly on some of the parts at least. She could remember clearly now that Noah had fallen down an elevator shaft of some sort and that she had been waiting for him below. Her dream had been like a rewind where she had climbed up the shaft instead of climbing down and when she had reached the top, she had looked around and found herself in a place similar to a hospital hallway.

What bothered her most though, was that she didn't remember what had happened with that man that had been touching her. His face hadn't originally been clear, but last night, it had been. She could even remember the police uniform he had been wearing and the mere thought of it made her feel disgusted; that a man who had once been a cop could do such a thing or even _imply _such a thing to someone.

And Beth didn't know whether he had done it to her.

Or did it count as rape if she had actually agreed to his offer of a 'win-win'-situation by nodding? She felt sick just thinking about it, but the events after the police officer had reached under her shirt to touch her skin remained blank to her. There was no way for her to know what had actually happened there, unless she asked someone who knew.

That had been what Beth had been thinking about while they had been driving back to the farmhouse. She had felt tense and unsure and not knowing what had transpired between her and that man had been putting her on edge.

Daryl's humming had been a blessing to her. Now all she wanted to know was _why_ he had done it. Had it really been all for her or was there something else to it?

Beth swallowed as another emotion twisted inside of her gut. She didn't want to be an awful person, but for some reason, her mind wouldn't let her drop the thought of the possibility of Daryl humming only because he had been thinking about that girl he had once cared about. The man had told Beth about how much he missed the sound of the girl's singing, and he had actually even mentioned missing hearing the mystery girl _hum_. Had his impromptu humming been some kind of subconscious thing that had happened because he had been thinking about that girl, and not Beth?

Beth didn't want to be selfish and a bad person, because she had seen it in Daryl's behavior that night on the porch just how much he had cared for the girl. Actually, Beth was certain that he had had deeper feelings for her as well. She didn't want to be selfish and say that she had actually been hoping that he had only hummed for her, and thus not been thinking about the other girl.

But she was kind of selfish and it only made her feel even worse about all of it.

She didn't know exactly what it was that was going on between her and Daryl at the moment. Maybe nothing was going on at all and she was just imagining things? It still didn't change the fact that he, besides Morgan, had been the only person that she had somehow managed to connect with on a deeper level without even talking to him that much. That, all on its own, _meant _something to Beth and she didn't want to ruin it all because she was feeling just a tiny bit jealous.

Horror coursed through her as she imagined what Daryl's reaction might be if he ever found out what she was thinking. He had maybe been in love with that girl and here Beth was, being jealous over the girl who was probably dead, over something that she had no right of being jealous over.

_Someone _she had no right to be jealous over.

Beth shook her head at herself and her thoughts. She didn't want to over think anything. At the moment she needed to keep her focus on finding out more about what had happened in that hospital, but she wasn't sure whether she was ready to actually talk to anyone about the police officer and the way he had been touching her. For now, Beth decided, she would only ask about what had gone down in that elevator shaft with Noah.

And the only person she could think of asking about it, was Noah himself.

-§-

Daryl sat outside on the porch, staring out at the open field as he breathed in the cool morning air. It was getting colder in the mornings and the leaves on the trees were slowly shifting colors to yellow, orange and red, proving that autumn was on the way. During the day though, it could still get pretty warm, so they still had some months to go before winter came around. Daryl wasn't very worried about it though because as far as he could tell, they were well prepared for spending the winter here on the farm. They had chopped up enough firewood to last a good couple of months and Abraham and Tyreese had built a small shack in the backyard that they would be able to use as a smokehouse for the meat that Daryl brought back. If they managed to get the generator in the basement working, they would hopefully even have electricity before then.

He sighed to himself when he heard the door open behind him as Carl rushed past him with little Judith in his arms. So much for the quiet morning, he thought to himself, although he didn't really mind watching as Carl held up Judith who was learning how to walk.

"Come on, Judy! Walk to your big brother," Carl said as he set her down, helping the little girl stand. She wobbled a bit but managed to find her balance, her closed fist going to her mouth as she sucked a bit on her knuckles. "Take a step for me, Judy," Carl once again cooed and Daryl looked down so that he wouldn't show the smile on his face.

It felt strange to be smiling after everything that had happened the day before on the run. Seeing Judith and Carl being all normal and happy, he couldn't help but think about how much the young boy had gone back to being a kid since they had found the farm. It seemed like being in a safe place again had softened Carl a bit and Daryl was glad that the kid had gotten the chance to relax a bit.

On the other hand, he was afraid that they were all going soft.

The run yesterday had gone awfully wrong and they should have been more prepared; _he _should have been more prepared. They should have left someone to keep watch, someone to signal if anyone came near. The men that had attacked them had gotten too close before they had gotten the situation under control and Daryl didn't like that one bit.

The mere thought of all the things that could have happened the day before; what those _monsters_ had wanted to do to Beth... The smile that had been on his lips as he watched Carl and Judith interacting fell from his face and was replaced by a frown instead.

When he had yelled out at them not to touch Beth, he had felt as if someone had just cut his lungs out. Seeing that man move his hand down Beth's stomach, to her pants and moving lower... Daryl had been about to just run at him, not even caring about the consequences of his actions. It didn't matter to him if he had gotten shot; all he could think about was getting that slimy man's hands off of his girl.

_'She your gal now, is she?' _Merle's teasing tone sounded inside of his mind. Daryl's frown only deepened as he dismissed his own thoughts. Beth wasn't anywhere near his and he wasn't sure she ever would be.

He wasn't even sure that he _wanted _her to be.

_'Nah, of course ya don' want her,'_ Merle seemed to snort. _'Lil' Bo Peep is jus' all ya think 'bout.'_

Deciding to ignore his older brother's voice that seemed to always be acting as his semiconscious (Which was ridiculous all on it's own, because Merle hadn't exactly been the best people to ask for advice when he had been alive.) and thought back once again to yesterday.

He was certain that he would have ripped the man apart for touching Beth either way, and he hadn't been able to help himself when Beth had finally gotten out of his grip. She had incapacitated one of the assailants with her knife, but he had finished the job for her, his eyes never moving from his targets. He had known that Michonne and Rick were more than capable of handling the men that had been behind them, so he had moved forward to get rid of the other ones and help Beth. When only the leader had been left, Daryl hadn't been able to suppress the rage that had flames up inside of him. He had put that knife into the man's heart slowly, making sure to twist it just right so that he would _feel_ the pain he deserved for even touching Beth in the first place.

It had made him feel a hell of a lot better, but nothing had felt as good as having Beth in his arms, which was maybe more dangerous than anything else. During the ride back to the farm, he had spent most of the ride humming to the girl, despite her having fallen asleep on his shoulder. He was glad that Glenn hadn't woken up at all, mostly because the younger man had been far too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. It would have been embarrassing mostly because he knew that Glenn couldn't keep a secret for too long, but he was sure that if Michonne had been there too, she would have teased the hell out of him for his actions.

"Mornin', Daryl," Maggie greeted him as she came out of the house.

He turned to look at her and nodded curtly, offering her a short-clipped, "G'mornin'," before once again looking at Judith, who was happily clapping on the ground as Carl groaned, trying to make her stand up all on her own. "How's Glenn?" Daryl asked the older Greene sister, not really knowing why she was seeking him out. He recalled a time after he had almost lost his shit on Rick in a bar, when Maggie had begun keeping an eye on him, approaching him without asking about Beth, even though she had clearly wanted to. Since they had been reunited with Beth though, their interactions had been brief and almost non-existent though, unless one counted the argument the two of them had had that day that Beth had come asking about Hershel.

It wasn't that he was still mad about Maggie's reaction to the entire ordeal. His problem was that no one had said anything to her about the fact that she had basically acted as if her sister had been dead all along and that she hadn't even gone looking for her until it had been too late. It bothered him more than it should sometimes, but so far, Daryl had been quiet about it. Actually, on second thought, he thought it bothered him just enough. Maggie had stood there in that room, lecturing him about not telling Beth the truth about Hershel, when she walked around pretending as if she hadn't completely ignored the fact that he had told her that Beth was still alive somewhere while they had been captured at Terminus. There had been several occasions when Maggie would have been able to tell Beth the truth and apologize, but clearly, she thought it was better for that _minor_ detail to just remain forgotten.

Daryl didn't forget though, but he also wasn't going to be the one who reminded Maggie, unless she angered him again that is.

Beth had told Daryl that night that Maggie had understood that Daryl had tried to protect her and Daryl honestly didn't even know why the hell he was bothering anymore. Maggie could take care of herself and all he had been trying to do was spare her feelings, figuring that it was better not to bring up Hershel.

Maggie was clearly afraid of her behavior regarding Beth before and after Terminus coming out, but everyone else seemed to have come to some kind of silent agreement that it wasn't their place to tell Beth something that she wouldn't even remember or know what to think about. Daryl was sure that Beth would have _some kind of _thought about it though, but he didn't want to risk losing her again just because a part of him believed that she deserved to know the truth about who had looked for her and who had tried to forget all about her existence.

Last night when they had returned to the farm, Maggie had once again been her overprotective self, looking over both Beth and Glenn, but Daryl hadn't failed to notice the way the older Greene sister had moved on to her husband a bit too quickly once she'd made sure that Beth was unharmed.

"Glenn's fine," Maggie drawled. "He's still recoverin' in our room. He'll probably be out all day... Good thing we don't have anything to do, ain't it?"

"Yeah, good thing..." Daryl agreed, shifting a bit where he sat, turning his attention back to Judith who was now rolling around on the grass. Michonne would have to wash the lil' Asskicker later, he realized, seeing dirt get on the little girl's clothes.

"I wanted to thank you," Maggie said as she sat down next to him, making sure there was some room between them. She knew he was uncomfortable with her sudden approach.

"For what?" he frowned at her.

"Keepin' an eye on Beth," she clarified. "Yesterday. Michonne told me some of what happened... You think she's okay?"

"Haven't seen her this mornin'," Daryl said roughly. "She might still be in her room."

Maggie nodded slowly, "Still grateful that you looked out for her."

"She saved herself," Daryl muttered. "Didn' need us. Got the bastard all by herself..."

"I'm not takin' it back, Daryl, so ya might as well accept my thanks," Maggie frowned at him. "I don't understand why you never just take what's given to ya..." she trailed off when the door opened behind them. They both turned around, only to see Beth walking out. When she noticed them sitting there, she paused for a brief moment, tugging a little on the gray hoodie she was wearing, pulling it tighter around her neck. Daryl narrowed his eyes as they settled on her throat where he could just barely make out a darkened piece of skin...

'_Bruises,_' his mind supplied and he suppressed the urge to growl out loud. He almost wished that he had made the man's death more painful, but there wasn't exactly a way for him to go back in time.

"Good morning," Beth said, clearing her throat a little. Her voice sounded hoarser too, which only caused Daryl's anger to flare up even more.

"Mornin'," he bit out. Beth looked at him curiously, squinting her eyes a bit. She seemed almost concerned and he supposed it might have to do with the way he sounded; absolutely pissed off.

He hadn't meant to take it out on Beth, but he was still bad at directing his anger at the right person, especially since the person was already dead.

"You feelin' any better?" Maggie asked Beth, who frowned at her.

"Never said I didn't feel alright," she stated.

"I just assumed–"

"Well, you assumed wrong then, didn't you?" Beth interrupted Maggie before she could stop herself. She winced then and her hand moved to her temple. "Sorry, my head is killin' me today... I didn't mean to snap at you."

Daryl wanted to snort and tell her that she had every right in the world to be at least a little bit snappy, both at him for once again almost failing at protecting her and at her sister, who was making assumptions that she couldn't take care of herself– _again_.

Maggie stood up instantly and brushed her fingers across Beth's forehead, frowning, "Ya don't have a fever at least. Maybe it'll pass?"

"Yeah," Beth agreed. "I get them sometimes. Suppose it might be a side-effect of havin' been shot in the head."

Daryl looked up at her then, and found that surprisingly enough, she was looking at him as well. He wanted to force himself to look away from her, but he just couldn't bring himself to. As they watched each other silently, he noticed how the corner of Beth's mouth twitched up a little, in a half-smile.

And why the fuck was he looking at her mouth?

Daryl broke the eye-contact by staring right ahead at Carl and Judith who were now laying on the grass together. Carl was lifting Judith up in the air while the little girl giggled happily.

"Hey, kid!" Daryl called over. "Bring lil' Asskicker over here an' stop getting' her clothes dirty."

Carl sat up with Judith in his lap, "Oh come on, Daryl! Judy and I are just havin' fun, aren't we, Judy?" he cooed the toddler but Daryl merely rolled his eyes and motioned for him to bring him the little girl. Carl stood up and walked over with Judith in his hands. As soon as they were close enough, Judith reached out with her hands toward Daryl, and Daryl took her from Carl's arms. He put her on his knees and bounced her up and down a few times while she squealed happily, making him smile a little.

It had been too long since he had held the lil' Asskicker and he almost felt a little bad for having neglected her the way he had. Since the day at the hospital all those months ago, he could count on one hand the times that he had actually held the little girl, normally leaving the task to either Carl, Carol, Tyreese or Rick. Michonne too had carried her around a fair share, and it seemed like Judith had taken a particular liking to the strong woman. Now, Daryl felt a bit calmer in his mind. Beth was back and things in his life, in this fucked up world, seemed to be falling into place again, if one didn't count the horrible events of yesterday.

Although, even that day had ended on a good note, he thought, when he recalled the way Beth's head had fit so nicely between his shoulder and the car seat.

"Do you guys know if Noah's awake yet?" Beth then asked. Daryl looked up at her again automatically, and he cursed himself for doing so when he saw that her eyes were still trained on him. She was watching him and Judith interacting and she actually _smiled_ a full-blown smile when Judith reached up and yanked at his hair. He muttered a low curse, trying to pry the girl's fingers from his hair when Beth reached down, gently helping him free from Judith's grip.

"She's so sweet," Beth said, brushing Judith's cheek with her finger before taking a small step back again. Daryl yet again found that he couldn't remove his eyes from her. "So? Have any of you seen Noah around?" she repeated.

"He woke up early," Carl informed her. "I think he might have gone down to the pits to see if everything was fine there."

"He went by himself?" Beth frowned, turning her eyes away from Daryl, looking at Carl instead.

Daryl detected concern in her tone and he turned back to look at Judith who was once reaching for his hear, but he pulled back just before she could get a hold of it. He understood that Beth was worried about Noah going out all on his own, because he was her friend.

That was all they were, right?

He wasn't the least bit jealous, was he? Because he shouldn't be...right? He had no right to be, after all. Yet, there was an uncomfortable feeling in his gut; like someone had just punched him ten times in a row. But that couldn't be jealousy, could it? He knew that he cared for Beth, _a lot. _Although he didn't know whether she felt the same for him and why should she? All he had done so far was put her in danger and almost get her killed. If he hadn't been teasing her at that mall yesterday, maybe she would have payed attention and then she wouldn't have been caught and almost raped–

"_Damn it,_" he exclaimed when Judith grabbed his hair and pulled again, this time a lot harder than before.

Maggie reached for the little girl who was gurgling and giggling contently. The older Greene sister laughed when she watched Daryl and even Carl and Beth chuckled. Daryl was pretty sure his face had gone red, which only made him want to disappear somewhere, maybe even go on a hunting trip for ten days until the whole ordeal had been forgotten.

"Let me take her," Maggie said, reaching for Judith. Daryl stood up instead and shook his head.

"Nah, I'll take her to Rick's room," he said before turning to Beth. "Ya don't gotta worry 'bout Noah," he told her. "Kid can take care of himself out there, but he ain't alone. Carol's with him."

"Why are you looking for him anyway?" Maggie then asked. She had clearly decided to ignore the way Daryl hadn't let her hold Judith.

"I had something to ask him," Beth shrugged.

"Something I need to know about?" Maggie wondered.

"Not right now," Beth replied. She crossed her arms over her chest, taking on an almost defensive posture. Daryl refrained from frowning at her again. "Well, I'll see you guys later then. I need to find Noah," she said before waving lightly. Before she turned away completely though, she met Daryl's eyes once again and he could see that there was something bothering her.

_'Of course somethin's botherin' her!_' Merle exclaimed in his mind. _'Blondie almost got raped for fuck's sake!'_

He ignored his brother's ranting in his mind as Beth finally moved her eyes away from his. It might have all occurred in less than a second, but it had felt almost as if time had slowed down a bit when their eyes had met.

Daryl muttered something to Maggie and Carl, about taking Judith inside so that Michonne could bathe her because Carl got her all dirty and stepped inside, hating the fact that his brother's voice kept taunting him about being jealous about Beth looking for Noah.

-§-

Beth found Noah by the pits, just like Carl had said. As Daryl had told her, he wasn't alone; Carol was standing next to him as they looked down into the pits, arms on their hips. When Beth approached, she saw that there was a lone walker inside the pit, but the two of them had clearly already taken it out.

"We've been on this farm for over two months," Carol said, "and this is one of _five_ walkers we've seen so far, if one doesn't count the ones that attacked you and Daryl in the woods." The older woman had been looking at Beth as she had spoken.

"You see many biters around when it was just you and Morgan?" Noah asked and Beth shook her head.

"No," she admitted, but she couldn't help but think about how strange it actually was.

Those months that she and Morgan had been on the road, they had seen plenty of walkers. As they had moved further South though, the amount of walkers had lessened and even though she didn't know just where this farm was, in which state, she knew that they had only been forced to take care of a couple of walkers since they had arrived there.

Her mind went to those men in the store for a moment and she wondered briefly if they could have had something to do with it. They had mentioned a 'boss' of some sort and they had seemed rather equipped to protect themselves against the geeks; no matter how easily they had been taken out by Beth and her group.

With the memory of what had happened yesterday, her mind flashed with images of that police officer again. She suppressed a shudder when she recalled a green lollipop being forced past her pursed lips and she shut her eyes tightly, willing the horrible feeling in her gut away.

"Noah, would you mind taking a small walk with me?" she blurted out.

Noah and Carol looked at each other before looking at Beth, both having a worried expression on their face. Beth knew that everyone had heard what had happened the day before and she understood their concern.

"Everything okay, Beth?" Carol asked and Beth nodded.

"Yeah, I just need to clear some things up," she said, trying to smile a bit but she was sure it only came out as a grimace.

"Okay, sure," Noah said. "Carol?" he asked the older woman who nodded.

"I'll go back to the house and ask Tyreese or someone to deal with this body," Carol said. She gently squeezed Beth's shoulder before leaning over, pressing a small kiss to Beth's cheek. "I'll see you later," she smiled and walked away.

Beth looked over at Noah, who motioned for her to lead the way and they began walking.

She was sure a good couple of minutes had passed since they had started walking in silence, but she simply didn't know where to begin. Noah was walking a couple of feet behind her and Beth tried desperately to find the words she wanted to say. She didn't want him to know about the police officer yet, mostly because she didn't know just how much he knew about the man.

Behind her, she heard Noah stop walking as he sighed deeply. She stopped too, but didn't turn around just yet. Instead, she looked around a bit under the pretense of checking out the perimeter.

"Everything okay, Beth?" Noah asked, breaking the silence.

"I remembered something," Beth told him, turning around slowly to face him. "I remembered _you_, falling down some kind of elevator shaft... And then darkness and gunshots and ringing in my ears." She watched him carefully for any kind of reaction.

And she got it.

Beth looked into Noah's eyes but he shifted his gaze to the side instead of facing her. She could see how quickly his shoulders tensed and his entire body was almost turned away from her.

"Noah?" Beth pressed. "Will you please just tell me? I remembered that and I'd like for you to fill the gaps."

"We were at a hospital together," he told her then, turning back to her. "That's where we met."

"A hospital?" Beth frowned.

Noah nodded, "Yeah. We became friends there... I guess, there were a lot of bad people there and the two of us could only trust each other."

"Where were Maggie and the others?" Beth asked. It didn't make any sense. She had been separated from her family for a while? Why hadn't anyone told her that yet?

"They came later..." Noah trailed off, shifting from one foot to the other. "You were a hero, Beth. You saved my life in that place, you helped me escape."

"Escape..."

"Through the elevator shaft," Noah shared. "You started shooting walkers left and right, killing them all. That must be the ringing in your ears that you mentioned. It was amazing."

Beth looked at him, once again hesitating. Should she ask about the police officer after all? Maybe it was better to learn everything at the same time? Or perhaps it would overwhelm her, if she found out that that man had done what she suspected that he had done to her.

"You said there were bad people there...?" she asked instead, trailing off as she left the question hanging.

"Yeah," Noah said slowly. "They were officers and they sort of ran the place. No one questioned their actions and those who didn't like it, turned their head the other way."

"What did they do?" Beth swallowed thickly, feeling how it was getting a bit more difficult to breathe as she once again remembered the way that man had pressed his nose into the side of her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Beat old people," Noah said. "Raped women–"

"Stop," Beth said, holding up her hand. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't need to hear any more."

Noah frowned, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Beth said, looking at him again. "I just...don't need the details right now." Then she remembered what he had said and tilted her head a bit, curiosity once again taking over. "You said that I helped you get out. Didn't I get out too?"

Once again, Noah looked uncomfortable. "You didn't get out until much later," he mumbled. Beth suppressed the urge to narrow her eyes at him. He was keeping something from her; she could feel it in her gut.

"Okay," she settled anyway, having learned a long time ago that there were just some things that were better left unexplained. She was certain that this conversation would be brought back up again, once she figured out how to approach Noah without actually just blurting out that she thought that she might have been raped in that hospital.

"Do you have anything else to ask?" Noah asked and Beth shook her head in reply. "Then maybe we should head back?" he suggested. Beth offered him a small smile, still deep in thoughts as they began walking back toward the farmhouse.

They were halfway there when someone stumbled out of the woods. Beth was ready, lifting the knife she always carried with her.

"It's just me," Father Gabriel spoke, holding up his hands in surrender. He approached her and Noah slowly, almost tripping over a small branch. "Lovely day for a walk, isn't it?"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Beth demanded, still not putting her knife away. "Are you alone?"

"I'm never alone," the pastor told her. "God is with me everywhere I go."

Beth stared at him blankly before her eyes narrowed. She shot him a glare, "Your God won't do you or any of us any good if you get attacked by walkers and bring them back to the farm."

"Oh, sweet Beth," Father Gabriel said. "You need to start believing more–"

"Shut up, will you?" Beth snapped angrily. "You're putting yourself and everyone else in danger! Don't you see that?"

"There have not been any walkers around this area for how long now?" Father Gabriel countered. "I have chosen to take that as a sign from God, that everything will be all right. We have been blessed with this wonderful place."

"You're crazy," Beth shook her head, sheathing her knife again as she began walking past the man. Just as she was on her way to pass him, however, the pastor took a hold of her wrist. Beth turned around and pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to release his grip on her. She knew that he hadn't meant to be threatening to her in any way, but with the day she was having, she didn't want him anywhere near her. "Don't _touch _me," she basically snarled at him. "You're putting us all in danger because of your beliefs. You're putting Carl and _Judith _and everyone else in danger because you think you're invincible. Anything can happen at any time so stop being so Goddamn naive because it will get us _all _killed!"

With those words, still fuming with anger, Beth turned back around and began walking back to the house, leaving both him and Noah behind. She knew that Noah would bring Father Gabriel with him back to the farmhouse but she just couldn't stand to be in his presence any longer. There was just something about that man that irked her and she simply didn't want to be around him more than necessary.

Beth walked around the house, to the backyard. She needed to blow off some steam and the best way of doing that was to get some target practice in. When she reached her destination though, she noticed that she wasn't the only one who had had target practice in mind.

Daryl was standing with his back toward her, crossbow raised as he fired a bolt, hitting the bulls-eye. She knew that he was aware of the fact that she was there, because there was just something about the way that he moved as he walked toward the tree without turning around. He was a hunter, for crying out loud! Of course he would know that she was there, since he was always aware of his surroundings. She took a few steps and then leaned back against the wall, looking at him as he took out the bolt and looked at it for any damages.

"Everythin' go okay with Noah?" he asked, his voice a little rougher than usual.

"Yeah," she replied. He glanced over at her, brushing his too long hair out of his eyes. She could tell that he wanted to ask something else, but there was something holding him back once again. Did he know that she had remembered something? Was it possible that he actually knew that she had gone to Noah to ask the younger man about her memories that he had been a part of?

"Why do you look pissed off then?" Daryl finally asked, turning to face her fully as he walked toward her. She could see that he was still being cautious and that he clearly hadn't asked what he had originally wanted to ask.

"Father Gabriel," Beth almost growled.

Daryl quirked an eyebrow at her, "What the hell has he done now?"

Beth pushed away from the wall, taking a few steps closer to Daryl. "He's walkin' around the woods as if there aren't any walkers around whatsoever!" she told him, throwing her hands up in the air out of sheer frustration. "He's gonna get himself killed one day, and who knows who else he'll put in danger until then. It pisses me off to know that no one is telling him to just stay put if he isn't gonna help keep us all safe."

"Mhm..." Daryl hummed in agreement.

"Aren't you gonna say anythin'?" Beth frowned at him. "Don't you have an opinion?"

"It's the same as yours," Daryl told her gruffly. "I haven't trusted that man since he endangered the lil' Asskicker a couple of months back, before–" he cut himself off abruptly, shaking his head.

Beth eyed him curiously again. What had he been about to say? Had he been about to slip up and tell her something that was related to her?

And had Father Gabriel already put Judith in danger once before? When had that happened?

Briefly, her mind went to earlier today, when she had met up with Daryl and Maggie on the porch. She had seen the way Daryl had held little Judith and she couldn't help but think about how clear it was that the man cared for her, almost as if she was his blood. It was no secret either that Daryl and Rick referred to each other as 'brother' so maybe, in a way, Daryl was Judith's uncle. She had no doubt that he cared about Judith and she was sure that Rick would trust Daryl with keeping both his kids safe, if it was necessary.

"Then why doesn't Rick or someone tell him to stay inside? He's clearly not in his right mind," Beth pointed out. "Why don't you say anythin' to him?"

"I'll keep an eye on him too, if it makes ya feel better," Daryl told her, "but I sure as hell ain't gonna start making the decisions for this group."

"Even if he's endangering us all?" Beth challenged, crossing her arms across her chest. Daryl frowned and sighed before looking away.

"I'll see what I can do," he finally agreed. "I'll bring it up to Rick, but if he doesn't do anythin' 'bout it, I ain't gonna either."

"Daryl, something needs to be done," Beth sighed, rubbing her temple. "If you agree with me, then why don't we just–"

"I don't wanna start any arguments in the group, Beth," Daryl interrupted her. "We've been safe so far an' I promise I'll do my best to keep ya safe for however long it's necessary."

Beth didn't even flinch as his hand came to rest on her shoulder, but her breath did hitch a bit when she realized that he was promising to keep _her _safe, specifically. What did he mean by that?

A part of her wanted to tell him that she didn't need anyone's protection, just as she had proven yesterday in that mall. Then again, she remembered how safe she had felt when Daryl had pulled her into his arms and she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

She could feel the warmth of Daryl's hand, even though it was only touching the hoodie she was wearing. His thumb seemed to brush lightly against her shoulder and as she looked down, to hide the flush on her face that she was sure was there, she knew that Daryl realized what he was doing. He pulled his hand away from her slowly though, and she wondered just how many more times they would be caught off guard like this; touching each other in comforting ways that seemed so familiar even though she held no memory of ever having been near him before.

Her eyes settled on his crossbow then and she closed her eyes momentarily as her vision got a bit blurry.

"_Will you teach me then?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_The crossbow? Will you teach me how to use it?"_

_A beat passed and she took a small breath, readying herself for rejection._

"_Sure."_

Beth opened her eyes and turned to look at Daryl so quickly that she got a bit dizzy. Daryl let go of his crossbow and reached for her with both his hands, resting them on her upper arms as she stumbled forward, blinking a few times.

"You okay?" he asked, worry shining through. He hadn't been quick enough to hide it this time.

Had that been a memory too? She had recognized Daryl's voice this time, and even though it had only been voices and a feeling in her gut, she knew that it _must have been _a memory.

She had asked Daryl to teach her how to use the crossbow once, and he had agreed to do so. Was that why she had been such a natural at aiming? What else had he taught her? And if he truly had taught her, then it confirmed her thoughts that the two of them had at least been friends in some way! She knew that Daryl never let anyone else touch his crossbow and if he really had gotten around to teaching her, then that must mean that he had once trusted her more than he was letting on.

"I'm fine," Beth said quickly, pulling away from his grip. She was so confused at the moment that her head was pounding because of her trying to figure out what all her jumbled up memories meant. This new one with Daryl was at least a little more positive than the one with the police officer, that she still wasn't able to get out of her mind.

"I think I just need to rest a bit," she told him, offering him a small smile. "I'll leave you to your crossbow training and see you later, at dinner. Okay?"

Daryl nodded slowly, but he was still looking at her worriedly. "At dinner," he confirmed.

She waved at him lightly before making her way into the house through the back door, feeling his eyes trained on her the entire time.

-§-

Beth had told Morgan that she was having one of her headaches again and then gone to her room. She had been there the entire day but she hadn't been able to sleep at all. Instead, she had just laid there, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the memories she had gotten back and trying to fit them into a chronological order.

She didn't dare asking about the police officer yet, mostly because she was sure that she wouldn't like the answer. If she really had been raped by him, she didn't want to know because she wouldn't want to live with those memories for the rest of her life. On the other hand though, not knowing was eating her up from the inside. She knew that she would inevitably have to ask Noah about it eventually but until then, she didn't even want to think about it.

Her mind then went to the brief conversation she had remembered in the backyard when she and Daryl had been talking. When exactly had _that _occurred? She wanted to know that too but she was too scared to ask Daryl because she knew that he would probably try to deny it. If she asked someone else, they might not even know what to tell her and then _they _would surely go to Daryl, which would only embarrass the hunter.

Beth was caught in some kind of limbo; torn between wanting to know and not daring to ask.

So instead, she had gone to dinner and eaten with the rest of the group, pretending that everything was fine. She had had a good laugh with Glenn, who was complaining about being sore but she was glad that he was still able to joke about having some kind of gym-equipment moved to the barn on the farmland. Honestly, she wouldn't mind having a place where they could actually practice and train safely, without having to worry about shooting someone by accident. The backyard area wasn't exactly the biggest so she was on board with them fixing up the old barn. Besides, they probably needed a new project now that they had piled up all the wood they wood need for the winter and Daryl, Eugene and Tyreese were working on that generator whenever they had time.

Daryl had been quiet for most of the dinner, and Beth wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that instead of sitting at her usual place beside Morgan and Maggie, she had sat down next to him. It was one thing to keep herself from asking him about the memory she had had, and it was another to keep the distance between them. She was comfortable around him and his words earlier that day about keeping her safe had meant more to her than she ever would have imagined. Morgan had been having her back all the time while they had been alone and when Daryl had spoken those words, it had reminded her of a conversation she and Morgan had had once when they had been caught in a snow storm in an old gas-station.

Morgan had promised her then too that he would keep her safe and that he wouldn't abandon her and he had been keeping that promise since that day. Having someone other than him, Daryl specifically, who kept insisting on never having known her very well, promise her the same... Well, it just meant _something _to her.

She wanted to show Daryl that she was fine with them being closer; that she was fine with people seeing that they were _friends _at least. He would hopefully learn as time passed that it didn't matter if he touched her shoulder if he wanted to bring her comfort and that she didn't mind him hugging her. His touch grounded her in a way that only Morgan's words had been able to do for months. It was surprising, yes, but at the same time, it just made so much sense to her that she just didn't even know how to explain it.

When Daryl stood up and mumbled something about going to bed earlier, she didn't bother saying anything, even though she greatly missed his presence when he'd left. No more than half an hour later, she had excused herself as well, still feeling some of the remnants of her headache as well as being a little sore in her throat. The others in the group though seemed to be enjoying the easy conversation they were having so she just kissed Morgan's cheek and waved at the rest of them before walking up the stairs.

Deep in mind as she was, she nearly missed the fact that Daryl's bedroom door was slightly ajar. She stopped walking and bit her lip. He had never left his door ajar before and she couldn't help but wonder if it was some kind of invitation from his side.

Not to anything _inappropriate_ of course, but maybe just to talk or something?

She couldn't help herself when she walked a bit closer, pushing at the door just a little so that she could peek inside. Daryl was laying in his back with both of his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. She pushed the door open a bit more and his eyes flickered over to where she was, but he didn't move even after his eyes connected with hers.

Sighing, she opened the door fully and took a tiny step into the room. When he didn't say anything to protest, she finally walked in and closed the door behind her before sitting down on the chair in the corner, leaving some space between them.

For a moment, they both looked at each other, challenging the other to be the first one to speak. If there was anything she had learned so far about Daryl Dixon, it was that he was a stubborn man. She knew that there was no way in hell that he would actually be the first one to speak tonight, especially since she had been the one who had come to him.

"I'm sorry if I'm botherin' you," she said, her voice low because she didn't want to strain her throat any more and risk loosing her voice altogether for a few days.

"Ya ain't botherin' me," Daryl retorted. He remained laying on the bad though and she was almost one hundred per cent sure that he was trying to prove to both her and himself that he could be comfortable with having her around. "Ya need anythin'?"

"I wanted to–" she cut herself off and shook her head lightly. "It's stupid."

"Ain't sure there's anythin' stupid 'bout you, Beth," he muttered in a barely audible tone, but she had heard him clear as day. She wasn't sure if he had meant for her to hear him, so she wasn't going to ask him about the words he had said, that she was going to consider a compliment for now and not think too deeply about. She had enough things to think about as it was.

"I wanted to ask you if you could take my mind off of things," she said. When she saw how Daryl's mouth dropped open a bit and panic seemed to flare up inside of his eyes, she quickly realized how bad her choice of words had been. "By telling me another story, I mean," she clarified quickly, hoping that she wasn't blushing as her own mind went right to those inappropriate places that she was trying to avoid thinking about.

"Another story, huh?" Daryl asked, as he pushed himself up in a sitting position. He watched her and she nodded her head in confirmation. "Ya sure? I don' really understand why ya think it's so fun to hear 'bout stuff from the past..."

"I don't know either," Beth confessed, noticing how he didn't object to the idea of telling her something.

"Fine then," he said, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to think of something to say. She wanted to hear something crazy about him that she wouldn't have ever expected to hear and when she told him as much, he actually chuckled. "Somethin' crazy? Alright, I s'pose I might have a story like that."

"Tell me, please?" Beth said, offering him a small smile of encouragement.

"Once, a crazy chick got me drunk on moonshine," he began, looking up at her, meeting her eyes.

"Was this before or after the Outbreak?" Beth wondered.

"After," Daryl shared and Beth couldn't help but laugh a bit. It was a funny thought: Daryl Dixon, getting drunk during the apocalypse with some girl after the dead started walking and danger lured around every corner.

"The girl, uh, talked me into playing some drinkin' game," he continued, playing with a tear in his jeans. "Then she convinced me to burn down a cabin."

"You burned down a _cabin_?" Beth asked, mouth dropping open in surprise.

"More of a shack than a cabin actually," he shrugged. "Didn't have more than one big room and that was where we found the moonshine."

"Wait a second," Beth said, holding up her hand to stop him from talking. "So you and some girl, found a shack somewhere in the woods, after the Outbreak, got piss-drunk and then burned the whole place down?"

"Maybe not piss-drunk, but yeah," Daryl nodded.

Beth covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing out loud. She didn't want anyone from downstairs to hear her, even though she knew that the isolation in the house was good enough so that the sound wouldn't carry that far unless she started screaming or something...which she wasn't planning on doing.

"And she weren't just _some _girl," Daryl added, which startled Beth. She looked at him then and noticed the slightly pained expression on his face. She instantly regretted asking him to tell her another story and she realized that the girl he was talking about, might be the same girl he had told her about that night on the porch.

She bit her tongue and swallowed, not knowing what else to add to his comment. His memory that had seemed like a good thing a moment ago had suddenly become a sad one when she thought about the sadness that she had seen in him that night on the porch. He had obviously cared a lot about this girl and here she was, laughing stupidly at his memories.

"I'm sorry," she said without thinking.

"Ain't nothin' to be sorry 'bout," he said. "Feels kinda good to share the story with someone..."

"You mean no one in the group knows about this?" Beth frowned and Daryl shook his head. "You've never told anyone?"

"Nah," Daryl drawled. "It was s'posed to be between me an'..._her._"

"Then why do you keep telling me about her?" Beth wondered.

She could see the hesitation in his eyes and he shrugged, "Guess you're just easier to talk to than I woulda imagined."

Beth stood from the chair and walked closer to him. This time, when she sat down on the bed next to him and lightly touched his arm, he didn't pull back and he didn't flinch. She decided to take it as a good sign and took the decision to try her luck by leaning her head lightly against his shoulder. When her forehead touched his skin, she heard him exhale, but he didn't move away from her touch and he didn't say anything else. Her fingers were still clutching his arm and he actually surprised her by resting his hand over hers and squeezing lightly.

Her mind once again filled with the memories she had been trying to get sorted in her mind and she wanted them to go away, at least for a little while longer. She asked him to tell her about the shack and how it had felt to burn it down and she failed to contain her smile when he obliged and continued to tell her the story, with a bit more details.

He never went into much detail about the girl though, although he described the cabin so well that when she closed her eyes, she could almost see it burning in front of her eyes, as well as Daryl, next to her, flipping both the burning shack and the past that it symbolized, off. She wished that she could have been there with him then; that she too could have burned down her own past and just started over fresh. Then again, she supposed that that was exactly what she had done, in a way, when she had lost her memories.

When Daryl had finished telling the story, they both sat in silence for a while longer. Beth was enjoying having him close to her because she got that comfort that she had been looking for without really knowing when she had sought him out. While she wanted to ask him why he had left the door open, since she knew that he was aware of the fact that he and she were the only ones who came this far down the hallway, she just couldn't bring herself to ask him. Instead, when she finally pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked up into his blue eyes that were boring down into hers, she just _knew _that he too had needed this moment.

"Daryl," she whispered, knowing that she still wasn't brave enough to just ask him what it was that he was keeping from her. She too was keeping things from him, after all. She thought back to the memory of that cop and then that man in the mall, who had caught her off guard.

She cleared her throat, forcing herself to look away from Daryl. "I don't wanna be a victim, Daryl," she told him, her voice hoarser than it had been earlier.

His hand was still resting over hers and she felt his grip tighten a bit. She wondered just how much he understood from her admission, because after all, he was a very perceptive man. "Ya ain't gonna be a victim," he told her confidently.

"I was caught off guard yesterday," she admitted bitterly. "I've been getting soft and I... I think I need to start training again." She looked at him again, but he kept his mouth shut. "Could you maybe train with me? Teach me things, I mean?"

Her question hung in the air for a bit and she was afraid that he might actually reject her. Then, he offered her a curt nod, agreeing to it.

"Ya sure this is just 'bout yesterday?" he asked her then, and she just _knew _that he could sense that there was more to the story, just like he had earlier in the backyard.

"Yes," she lied, even though she knew that he wouldn't believe her.

"Okay," he finally said, not looking the least convinced but at least he had agreed to help train her again. Beth stood from his bed and he let go of her hand. They looked at each other for another moment and she noticed that he seemed to be in deep thought once again.

"Good night, Daryl," she said.

He blinked a few times, "G'night, Beth."

She walked to the door, turning back one last time before she walked out, offering him a small smile again, that he returned, but only lightly. Nevertheless, it made her feel a bit better and when she finally laid down in her bed and closed her eyes, sleep overtook her and she had a dreamless night for the first time, in a long, long time.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Another story! Yay! Or at least that's the way I felt about it! Do tell me what you thought! :)<strong>

**Oh, and I need to say that since I have an exam this Friday, which means that I'll have to study a lot this week, I might not be able to write much this week. However, I do hope that I'll be able to post again on Sunday next week. Until then, please tell me what you thought of this chapter as well as what has been your favorite thing about this story so far and what you look forward to seeing in the future! :)**

**And remember, no spoilers about the new episode in the reviews since I won't be able to watch it until tomorrow! Keep track of what I do on twitter or tumblr and then you'll know when I've watched the episode. After I've watched it, you can feel free to message me if you need someone to talk about. Also, to my fellow Team Delusional members, whatever happens in this episode tonight, don't expect to see Beth actually coming back. I am just expecting a sign of sorts that will just be so obvious that it will get people wondering and talking, but of course, if we do physically get to see Beth, then I'll be happy too.**

**Okay, sorry for rambling, just don't give up hope, okay? I know that I won't! :)**

**Have a nice week everyone! Until next time! xx**


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